What is the meaning of the round window and the oval window in ear surgery/anatomy?
The inner ear has two membrane-covered outlets into the air-filled middle ear – the oval window and the round window. The oval window sits immediately behind the stapes, the third middle ear bone, and begins vibrating when “struck” by the stapes. This sets the fluid of the inner ear sloshing back and forth. The round window serves as a pressure valve, bulging outward as fluid pressure rises in the inner ear.
