Incus

Bone of the middle ear

This article is about ossicle. For other uses, see Incus Records and Cumulonimbus incus.

Incus

Left incus. A. From within. B. From the front.

Auditory tube, laid open by a cut in its long axis.

Details
Pronunciation| /ˈɪŋkəs/
Precursor| First branchial arch[1]
Part of| Middle ear
Articulations| Incudomalleolar and incudostapedial joint
Identifiers
Latin| incus
MeSH| D007188
TA98| A15.3.02.038
TA2| 888
FMA| 52752
Anatomical terms of bone

[edit on Wikidata]

This article is one of a series documenting the anatomy of the
Human ear

Outer ear

* Auricle
* Ear canal

Middle ear

* Tympanic membrane
* Ossicles
* Malleus
* Incus
* Stapes

Inner ear

* Vestibules
* Utricle
* Saccule
* Cochlea
* Semicircular canals

* v
* t
* e

The incus (pl.: incudes) or anvil in the ear is one of three small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear. The incus receives vibrations from the malleus, to which it is connected laterally, and transmits these to the stapes medially. The incus is named for its resemblance to an anvil (Latin: incus).

## Structure

[edit]

See also: Ossicles

The incus is the second of three ossicles, very small bones in the middle ear which act to transmit sound. It is shaped like an anvil, and has a long and short crus extending from the body, which articulates with the malleus.[2]: 862 The short crus attaches to the posterior ligament of the incus. The long crus articulates with the stapes at the lenticular process.

The superior ligament of the incus attaches at the body of the incus to the roof of the tympanic cavity.

The incus is homologous to the quadrate bone found in other tetrapods.[3]

## Function

[edit]

Main article: Hearing

Vibrations in the middle ear are received via the tympanic membrane. The malleus, resting on the membrane, conveys vibrations to the incus. This in turn conveys vibrations to the stapes.[2]

## History

[edit]

"Incus" means "anvil" in Latin. Several sources attribute the discovery of the incus to the anatomist and philosopher Alessandro Achillini.[4][5] The first brief written description of the incus was by Berengario da Carpi in his Commentaria super anatomia Mundini (1521).[6] Andreas Vesalius, in his De humani corporis fabrica,[7] was the first to compare the second element of the ossicles to an anvil, thereby giving it the name incus.[8] The final part of the long limb was once described as a "fourth ossicle" by Pieter Paaw in 1615.[9]

## Additional images

[edit]

* Ossicles

* Tympanic cavity. Facial canal. Internal carotid artery.

* Auditory ossicles. Tympanic cavity. Deep dissection.

* Aditory ossicles. Incus and malleus. Deep dissection.

## References

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1. ^ hednk-023—Embryo Images at University of North Carolina
2. ^ a b Drake, Richard L.; Vogl, Wayne; Tibbitts, Adam W.M. Mitchell; illustrations by Richard; Richardson, Paul (2005). Gray's anatomy for students. Philadelphia: Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 978-0-8089-2306-0.
3. ^ Luo, Zhexi; Crompton, Alfred W. (1994-09-07). "Transformation of the quadrate (incus) through the transition from non-mammalian cynodonts to mammals". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 14 (3): 341–374. Bibcode:1994JVPal..14..341L. doi:10.1080/02724634.1994.10011564. ISSN 0272-4634.
4. ^ Alidosi, GNP. I dottori Bolognesi di teologia, filosofia, medicina e d'arti liberali dall'anno 1000 per tutto marzo del 1623, Tebaldini, N., Bologna, 1623. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k51029z/f35.image#
5. ^ Lind, L. R. Studies in pre-Vesalian anatomy. Biography, translations, documents, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1975. p.40
6. ^ Jacopo Berengario da Carpi,Commentaria super anatomia Mundini, Bologna, 1521. https://archive.org/details/ita-bnc-mag-00001056-001
7. ^ Andreas Vesalius, De humani corporis fabrica. Johannes Oporinus, Basle, 1543.
8. ^ O'Malley, C.D. Andreas Vesalius of Brussels, 1514-1564. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1964. p. 121
9. ^ Graboyes, Evan M.; Chole, Richard A.; Hullar, Timothy E. (September 2011). "The Ossicle of Paaw". Otology & Neurotology. 32 (7): 1185–1188. doi:10.1097/MAO.0b013e31822a28df. PMC 3158805. PMID 21844785.

## External links

[edit]

* The Anatomy Wiz Incus

* v
* t
* e

Anatomy of hearing and balance

Outer ear|

* Auricle
* helix
* antihelix
* tragus
* antitragus
* intertragic notch
* earlobe
* Ear canal
* Auricular muscles
* Eardrum
* umbo
* pars flaccida

Middle ear|

| Tympanic cavity|

* Medial structures
* oval window
* round window
* secondary tympanic membrane
* prominence of facial canal
* promontory of tympanic cavity
* Posterior structures
* mastoid cells
* aditus to mastoid antrum
* pyramidal eminence

|

Ossicles|

* Malleus
* superior ligament
* lateral ligament
* anterior ligament
* Incus
* superior ligament
* posterior ligament
* Stapes
* annular ligament
* Muscles
* stapedius
* tensor tympani

Auditory tube /
Eustachian tube|

* Torus tubarius

Inner ear|

| Labyrinths|

* membranous
* bony

|

Auditory system|

| General|

* Cochlea
* Vestibular duct
* Helicotrema
* Tympanic duct
* Modiolus
* Cochlear cupula
* Perilymphatic space
* Perilymph
* Cochlear aqueduct
* Cells
* Claudius
* Boettcher

|

Cochlear duct /
scala media|

* Reissner's/vestibular membrane
* Basilar membrane
* Reticular membrane

* Endolymph
* Stria vascularis
* Spiral ligament

* Organ of Corti
* stereocilia
* tip links
* Tectorial membrane
* Sulcus spiralis
* externus
* internus
* Spiral limbus

Vestibular system|

| Vestibule|

* Utricle
* macula
* Saccule
* macula
* Kinocilium
* Otolith
* Otolithic membrane
* Vestibular aqueduct
* endolymphatic duct
* endolymphatic sac
* Ductus reuniens

|

Semicircular canals|

* Superior
* Posterior
* Horizontal
* Ampullary cupula
* Ampullae
* crista ampullaris

* v
* t
* e

Bones in the human skeleton

Axial skeleton|

| Skull|

| Neurocranium|

* occipital
* parietal
* frontal
* temporal
* sphenoid
* ethmoid

|

Face|

* nasal
* maxilla
* lacrimal
* zygomatic
* palatine
* inferior nasal conchae
* vomer
* mandible
* hyoid

Ear|

* ossicles
* malleus
* incus
* stapes

Thorax|

* sternum
* rib cage
* rib

Vertebral column|

* vertebrae
* cervical
* thoracic
* lumbar
* sacrum
* coccyx

Appendicular|

| Shoulder|

* clavicle
* scapula

|

Arm|

* humerus
* ulna
* radius

Hand|

* carpals (scaphoid, lunate bone, triquetral, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate)
* metacarpals
* phalanges (prox, int, dist)

Pelvis|

* ilium
* ischium
* pubis

Leg|

* femur
* patella
* fibula
* tibia
* sesamoid bones

Foot|

* tarsals
* heelbone
* anklebone
* navicular
* cuneiform
* cuboid
* metatarsals
* phalanges
* proximal
* intermediate
* distal
* accessory
* accessory navicular

* v
* t
* e

Bones in the tetrapod skeleton

Skull

| Cranium|

| Skull roof|

* Frontal
* Internasal
* Intertemporal
* Jugal (Zygomatic)
* Lacrimal
* Maxilla
* Nasal
* Parietal
* Postfrontal
* Postorbital
* Postparietal
* Prefrontal
* Premaxilla
* Quadratojugal
* Rostral
* Septomaxilla
* Squamosal
* Supratemporal
* Tabular

| Composite bones|

* Interparietal (Postparietal+Tabular)

|

Braincase|

* Basioccipital
* Basisphenoid
* Ethmoid
* Exoccipital
* Laterosphenoid
* Opisthotic
* Orbitosphenoid
* Parasphenoid
* Prootic
* Sphenethmoid
* Supraoccipital

| Composite bones|

* Occipital (Supraoccipital+Exoccipital+Basioccipital)
* Otoccipital (Exoccipital+Opisthotic)
* Parabasisphenoid (Parasphenoid+Basisphenoid)
* Petrosal (Prootic+Opisthotic)
* Temporal (Squamosal+Petrosal+Ectotympanic)

|

Palate|

* Ectopterygoid
* Epipterygoid (Alisphenoid)
* Palatine
* Prevomer
* Pterygoid
* Quadrate (Incus)
* Vomer

* Columella (Stapes)
* Sclerotic ring

Mandible|

* Angular (Ectotympanic)
* Articular (Malleus)
* Coronoid
* Dentary
* Prearticular
* Predentary
* Splenial
* Surangular

Hyoid|

* Basihyoid
* Ceratohyoid
* Epihyoid
* Stylohyoid
* Thyrohyoid
* Tympanohyoid

Postcranial skeleton

| Axial|

| Vertebrae|

* Atlas
* Axis
* Cervical vertebrae
* Dorsal vertebrae
* Sacrum
* Caudal vertebrae

* Coccyx
* Pygostyle

* Haemal arches

|

Ribs|

* Cervical ribs
* Dorsal ribs
* Caudal ribs

Appendicular|

| Pectoral girdle|

* Clavicle (Furcula)
* Cleithrum
* Coracoid
* Interclavicle
* Scapula
* Sternum

|

Forelimb|

* Humerus
* Radius (bone)
* Ulna

| Manus|

| Carpus|

* Radiale (Scaphoid)
* Ulnare (Triquetral)
* Intermedium
* Lateral centrale (Lunate)
* Medial centrale
* Pisiform
* Pteroid

| Distal carpals|

* Distal carpal 1 (Trapezium)
* Distal carpal 2 (Trapezoid)
* Distal carpal 3 (Capitate)
* Distal carpal 4 (Hamate)
* Distal carpal 5

|

* Metacarpal
* Phalanges
* Ungual

Pelvic girdle|

* Ischium
* Ilium
* Pubis
* Epipubic bone

Hindlimb|

* Femur
* Tibia
* Fibula
* Patella

| Pes|

| Tarsus|

| Proximal tarsals|

* Tibiale
* Intermedium
* Fibulare (Calcaneum)

|

Centralia|

* Centrale 1
* Centrale 2
* Centrale 3
* Centrale 4

Distal tarsals|

* Distal tarsal 1 (Medial cuneiform)
* Distal tarsal 2 (Intermediate cuneiform)
* Distal tarsal 3 (Lateral cuneiform)
* Distal tarsal 4
* Distal tarsal 5

Composite tarsals|

* Astragalus (Talus) (Tibiale+Intermedium+Centrale 3+4)
* Navicular (Centrale 1+2)
* Cuboid (Distal tarsal 4+5)

* Metatarsal
* Phalanges
* Ungual

Miscellaneous|

* Baculum/Baubellum
* Gastralia
* Ossified tendon
* Osteoderms

* Parentheses denote bones that receive a different name in particular clades
* Italics denote neomorphic bones present only in particular clades

Authority control databases |

* Terminologia Anatomica

|

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