Intermediate External Auditory Canal Quiz

Q1. Which nerve is a major sensory supply to the anterior and superior external auditory canal?

• Greater occipital nerve
• Infraorbital nerve
• Auriculotemporal nerve
• Lingual nerve

Q2. Which cranial nerve contributes sensory innervation to the posterior and inferior external auditory canal?

• Accessory nerve, CN XI
• Oculomotor nerve, CN III
• Vagus nerve, CN X
• Hypoglossal nerve, CN XII

Q3. What is the clinical significance of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve in the external auditory canal?

• It directly moves the stapes
• Canal stimulation can provoke a cough reflex
• It contracts the tensor tympani
• It controls cerumen secretion exclusively

Q4. How is the adult external auditory canal typically straightened for otoscopic examination?

• Pull the auricle upward and backward
• Push the tragus medially
• Pull the lobule directly anteriorly only
• Pull the auricle downward and forward

Q5. How is the external auditory canal commonly straightened in a young child during otoscopy?

• Pull the auricle downward and backward
• Pull the auricle directly superiorly
• Push the auricle medially
• Pull the auricle upward and backward

Q6. Why is the skin of the bony external auditory canal particularly sensitive?

• It contains no sensory nerves
• It is thin and tightly adherent to periosteum
• It is lined by respiratory epithelium
• It contains a thick fat pad

Q7. Which artery is an important source of blood to the deep external auditory canal?

• Deep auricular artery
• Central retinal artery
• Superior thyroid artery
• Lingual artery

Q8. Which anatomical relationship explains why disease of the temporomandibular joint can sometimes be perceived near the ear canal?

• The mastoid antrum forms the anterior canal wall
• The temporomandibular joint lies anterior to the canal
• The cochlea lies inside the mandibular condyle
• The parotid duct passes through the tympanic membrane

Q9. Which structure lies posterior to the external auditory canal in the temporal bone region?

• Orbit
• Sella turcica
• Mastoid region
• Hard palate

Q10. What are the fissures of Santorini in the external auditory canal?

• Small gaps in the cartilaginous canal
• Openings connecting the cochlea to the vestibule
• Perforations in the tympanic membrane
• Foramina carrying the vestibulocochlear nerve