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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/8684.htm
Sense of hearing
Overview
Sound waves travel from the external ear to the middle ear, pass through the eardrum and enter the inner ear where they are interpreted and communicate with neural structures.
Review Date 4/29/2026
Updated by: Ashutosh Kacker, MD, FACS, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Attending Otolaryngologist, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.