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Prenatal development of the human tympanic ring: a morphometric study with clinical correlations

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Abstract

Purpose

To establish normal reference values for the human Tympanic Ring (TR) during prenatal development, and to describe and interpret its growth dynamics.

Methods

Fifty spontaneously aborted human fetuses aged 12–37 weeks with normal external characteristics were evaluated. The parameters measured in the TR were the cephalocaudal and dorsoventral axes, total area, thickness, height, and length and angle of the notch of Rivinus (NR). Data were subjected to statistical analysis.

Results

The following values were obtained at the end of fetal development: cephalocaudal and dorsoventral axes, 10.03 and 8.3 mm, respectively; ratio between the two axes, 120%; total area, 65.63 mm2; height and thickness, 0.88 mm and 1.10 mm, respectively; and length and angle of the NR, 4.66 mm and 26.2 degrees, respectively. There were variations in the length of the dorsoventral axis throughout fetal development that affected all other parameters, except for the cephalocaudal axis. There were no sex-based differences in TR size.

Conclusion

The prenatal development of the TR is dynamic as evidenced by the size variations noted throughout fetal development. Notwithstanding, this structure is a reliable and sensitive marker of developmental abnormalities of the external and middle ear.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgments

We are pleased to thank Vladimira Torres-González for expert technical support.

Funding

Not applicable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Av. Francisco I. Madero y Dr. Eduardo Aguirre Pequeño S/N, Col. Mitras Centro., C.P. 64460, Monterrey, NL, México

    Alfredo Nuñez-Castruita & Norberto López-Serna

Authors
  1. Alfredo Nuñez-Castruita
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  2. Norberto López-Serna
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the Study conception, Protocol development, Data collection, Data analysis, Manuscript writing, and Manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alfredo Nuñez-Castruita.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (EH-127–19). The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Nuñez-Castruita, A., López-Serna, N. Prenatal development of the human tympanic ring: a morphometric study with clinical correlations. Surg Radiol Anat 43, 1187–1194 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02654-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-020-02654-w

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