Applied Basic Science of the Auricular Cartilage

Abdalla, Mohamed Khamis Tolba Mahmoud

doi:10.5772/intechopen.72479

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 62 publications

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“…The outer ear consists of two components, the pinna and the oval-shaped EAM, both consisting of skin, perichondrium, and cartilage [ 8–10 ]. The auricular cartilage, a single plate of thin yellow fibrocartilage that fills the ear, is subject to a host of maladies that include hardening and inflexibility, a condition known as petrified ear [ 11 ], auricular ossificans and ectopic ossification [ 12 ], and petrified pinna [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessory tympanic plate ossicle: a new osteological entity

Mann,

Ruengdit,

Thompson

et al. 2024

Forensic Sciences Research

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The auricular cartilage, which is typically soft and flexible, can calcify or ossify because of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, trauma, radiation therapy for cancer, and more commonly from frostbite. Calcified, ossified, or hardened auricular cartilage is a rare finding in the clinical literature and appears to be absent in the physical and forensic anthropological literature. The present study examines the ossified auricular cartilage and tests whether the hypothesis can be identified in postmortem skeletonized tissue and be part of the external auditory meatus. Two hundred and ninety crania were examined for accessory ossicles. A descriptive and interpretative analysis was performed grossly, histologically, and morphometrically to document the morphology and location of the ossicles, investigate their structure, and perform hypothesis testing. Results revealed that seven females and one male crania from a total of 290 crania (2.76%) exhibit semi-ossified auricular cartilage attached to the tympanic plate of the temporal bone. The morphology and location of the ossicles at the junction of the auricle and external auditory meatus indicate they are hardened auricular cartilage that was verified with histological observations. Regression analysis indicates that addition of the ossicle to the depth of the auditory tube significantly changes coefficient of determination (R2) with respect to cranial breadth. In conclusion, results indicate that small cartilaginous structures of the external ear may ossify forming accessory tympanic plate ossicles (ATPOs) that potentially could be identified in skeletal remains as a new osteological entity. This report highlights the types of information that can be gained by using an approach that integrates forensic anthropology, gross anatomy, and histology.

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