Semicircular duct
Ductus semicircularis
Definition
A semicircular duct is a thin, membranous tube located within each of the three semicircular canals of the vestibular system in the inner ear. It is filled with endolymph and is responsible for detecting angular acceleration of the head, thereby contributing to the sense of balance and spatial orientation.
There are three semicircular ducts, duct corresponding to one of the three spatial planes—anterior, posterior, and lateral—and is oriented approximately orthogonally to the others, allowing detection of rotational movements in three planes.:
Each duct forms a loop and terminates in an enlarged region called the ampulla, which contains the sensory epithelium (crista ampullaris) that transduces mechanical stimuli into neural signals.
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