Pyramidal eminence
Encyclopedia
The pyramidal eminence (pyramid) is situated immediately behind the fenestra vestibuli, and in front of the vertical portion of the facial canal
; it is hollow, and contains the Stapedius
muscle; its summit projects forward toward the fenestra vestibuli, and is pierced by a small aperture which transmits the tendon of the muscle.
The cavity in the pyramidal eminence is prolonged downward and backward in front of the facial canal, and communicates with it by a minute aperture which transmits a twig from the facial nerve
to the Stapedius muscle.
Facial canal
The facial canal is a Z-shaped canal running through the temporal bone from the internal acoustic meatus to the stylomastoid foramen. In humans it is approximately 3 centimeters long, which makes it the longest human osseous canal of a nerve...
; it is hollow, and contains the Stapedius
Stapedius
The stapedius is the smallest skeletal muscle in the human body. At just over one millimeter in length, its purpose is to stabilize the smallest bone in the body, the stapes....
muscle; its summit projects forward toward the fenestra vestibuli, and is pierced by a small aperture which transmits the tendon of the muscle.
The cavity in the pyramidal eminence is prolonged downward and backward in front of the facial canal, and communicates with it by a minute aperture which transmits a twig from the facial nerve
Facial nerve
The facial nerve is the seventh of twelve paired cranial nerves. It emerges from the brainstem between the pons and the medulla, and controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste sensations from the anterior two-thirds of the tongue and oral cavity...
to the Stapedius muscle.