Sounds from the external environment are first met by the pinna which directs them towards and into the external auditory meatus (or opening of the ear). Sound travels towards the tympanic membrane or eardrum, which vibrates against the ossicles. The ossicles then transmit these vibrations to the cochlea which convert the vibrations into nerve impulses which travel to the brain through the vestibulocochlear nerve.

The internal auditory meatus is a canal within the petrous part of the temporal bone. The canal lies between the posterior cranial fossa and the inner ear. This canal provides passage through which the vestibulocochlear nerve, the facial nerve, and the labyrinthine artery pass from inside the skull to the inner ear and face. It also contains the vestibular ganglion. If a tumor were to grow in this area it would have a number of consequences including affecting taste (via chorda tympani of facial nerve), cause dizziness (via the vestibular ganglion), and cause dry eye (via facial nerve).

Sound vibrations from the air are collected by the outer ear, including the cartilaginous pinna. Air vibrations interface with the tympanic membrane, transferring the vibrations to the bones of the middle ear. These bones interface with the oval window to transfer the vibrations to the fluid of the cochlea found in the inner ear, where nerve endings translate the vibrations into electrical signals.

The malleus, incus, and stapes are the bones of the middle ear and are considered the smallest bones in the human body.