channel between the middle ear and the nasopharynx auditory tube
Eustachian tube The Eustachian tube, also known as the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube,[1] is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear. It is a part of the middle ear. In adult humans the Eustachian tube is approximately 35 mm (1.4 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) in diameter.[2] It is named after the sixteenth-century anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachi.[3]
Auditory system There are far fewer inner hair cells in the cochlea than afferent nerve fibers â€“ many auditory nerve fibers innervate each hair cell. The neural dendrites belong to neurons of the auditory nerve, which in turn joins the vestibular nerve to form the vestibulocochlear nerve, or cranial nerve number VIII.[32] The region of the basilar membrane supplying the inputs to a particular afferent nerve fibre can be considered to be its receptive field.