Innervation of the tympanic membrane.

In 1911 Wilson reported the presence of modified Vater-Pacinian corpuscles in the human tympanic membrane. Our ultrastructural study of the corpuscles revealed that their features are comparable to the function of a mechanoreceptor. The location of the corpuscles indicate that they may detect the stiffness of the tympanic membrane as a result of its dislocation. Based on histological findings, the relation between mechanoreceptors in the tympanic membrane and the tubal function was examined. Tubal function was tested during Valsalva maneuvers and its active equilibration. After anesthesia of the tympanic membrane, 13 out of the 40 ears needed more than two swallows. As Eustachian tubal function changed following anesthesia of tympanic membranes, a neural connection between sensory receptors in the tympanic membrane and tubal muscles is suggested.