Hostname: page-component-77f85d65b8-5ngxj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-04-18T23:02:36.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Voluntary contraction of the tensor tympani muscle and its audiometric effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2013

R D Angeli ,
M Lise ,
C C Tabajara  and
T B Maffacioli
R D Angeli*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil
M Lise
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil
C C Tabajara
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil
T B Maffacioli
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, Brazil
*
Address for correspondence: Mr R D Angeli, Medical School, Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA), Avenida Farroupilha, 8001, CEP 92.4259-00 – Canoas, RS, Brazil Fax: +00 55 51 34788113 E-mail: roberto.dihl@terra.com.br
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

The tensor tympani muscle is the largest muscle within the middle ear. Its voluntary contraction is a very unusual event. Only a few papers have documented its audiometric effects.

Objective:

To report an unusual case of voluntary tensor tympani muscle contraction and describe its audiometric effects.

Case report:

A 27-year-old man, who presented complaining of voluntarily evoked bilateral tinnitus, was found to be able to voluntarily contract the tensor tympani muscle in both ears simultaneously. Audiograms were performed under conditions of rest and maximal contraction of the tensor tympani muscle. The most remarkable effects were conductive hearing loss at lower frequencies and an increase in middle-ear impedance.

Conclusion:

The importance of the tensor tympani muscle in middle-ear physiology remains unclear. It has been related to the attenuation of sounds produced during the mastication process. Voluntary control over the tensor tympani muscle is an extremely rare event. However, an understanding of the potential audiometric effects of its contraction could aid the diagnosis of hearing disorders.

Keywords

Tensor TympaniAudiometryTinnitus

Information

Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 127 , Issue 12 , December 2013 , pp. 1235 - 1237
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

Presented orally at the 42nd Brazilian Congress of Otorhinolaryngology, 14–17 November 2012, Recife, Brazil.

References

1Bance, M, Makki, FM, Garland, P, Alian, WA, van Wijhe, RG, Savage, J. Effects of tensor tympani muscle contraction on the middle ear and markers of a contracted muscle. Laryngoscope 2013;123:1021–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Rock, EH. Objective tinnitus and the tensor tympani muscle. Int Tinnitus J 1995;1:30–7Google ScholarPubMed
3Smith, HD. Audiometric effects of voluntary contraction of the tensor tympani muscles. Arch Otolaryngol 1943;38:369–72CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Gelfand, SA. Hearing: An Introduction to Psychological and Physiological Acoustics, 5th edn.London: Informa Healthcare, 2010Google Scholar
5Djupesland, G. Middle ear muscle reflexes elicited by acoustic and nonacoustic stimulation. Acta Otolaryngol 1964;57:287–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Klockhoff, I, Anderson, H. Reflex activity in the tensor tympani muscle recorded in man; preliminary report. Acta Otolaryngol 1960;51:184–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Klockhoff, I. Middle ear muscle reflexes in man. A clinical and experimental study with special reference to diagnostic problems in hearing impairment. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl 1961;164:1–92Google Scholar
8Salen, B, Zakrisson, JE. Electromyogram of the tensor tympani muscle in man during swallowing. Acta Otolaryngol 1978;85:453–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Ingelstedt, S, Jonson, B. Mechanisms of the gas exchange in the normal human middle ear. Acta Otolaryngol 1967;63:452–61CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Politzer, A. A Text-book of the Diseases of the Ear for Students and Practitioners, 5th edn.Philadelphia and New York: Lea & Fabiger, 1909Google Scholar
11Honjo, I, Ushiro, K, Haji, T, Nozoe, T, Matsui, H. Role of the tensor tympani muscle in eustachian tube function. Acta Otolaryngol 1983;95:329–32CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Cohen, D, Perez, R. Bilateral myoclonus of the tensor tympani: a case report. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;128:441CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Zipfel, TE, Kaza, SR, Greene, JS. Middle-ear myoclonus. J Laryngol Otol 2000;114:207–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Ramírez, LM, Ballesteros, LE, Sandoval, GP. Tensor tympani muscle: strange chewing muscle. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2007;12:E96–100Google ScholarPubMed