Anatomical and morphometric study of goat middle ear ossicles (Capra aegagrus hircus)

The social and economic roles of goat farming in Northeastern Brazil, allied to the fact that the use of goat middle ear ossicles for research and human ear surgery training has not yet been proposed, justify the study of their applicability as an experimental model. The middle ears of 19 goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) from the bone collection of the Laboratory and Didactic Anatomy Museum of Domestic and Wild Animals of the Federal University of Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF) were dissected. The malleus, incus, and stapes were evaluated regarding their macroscopic morphology and biometry (length, width, and height). Ossicle morphology was similar to sheep, human, and bovine morphology. The malleus was 1.3 times heavier and 2.2 times longer than the incus, and 9.0 times heavier and 3.7 times longer than the stapes. The size relationship was positive between the stapes and the malleus and negative between the stapes and the incus. It is concluded that the middle ear size and the anatomical similarities with human ossicles make goats a useful model for experimental scientific studies, reconstructive surgery practice of the ossicular chain, and human ear surgery training.