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Figure 4b. Normal anatomy of the stapes. (a) Three-dimensional VR CT image (inferior view) shows the head of the stapes (HS), which articulates with the lenticular process of the incus. Inferior to the head of the stapes is the stapes neck (NS), which provides attachment to the stapedius muscle. The anterior crus (AC) and posterior crus (PC) connect the stapes neck to the stapes footplate (FP). The stapes is a cartilaginous structure, unlike the bony malleus and incus. Therefore, the color rendering of the stapes on the 3D shaded-surface-display reformatted images was different from that of the malleus and incus (cf Figs 2, 3). (b, c) Three-dimensional VR CT images (view from the dissected tympanic cavity looking into the oval window) obtained with (b) and without (c) the stapes (St) present show that the stapes footplate (dotted blue line) sits on the oval window (dotted yellow line), attached to its margins by the annular ligament (AL).
