Lateral semicircular canal

Nerves · Latin: Canalis semicircularis lateralis

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The lateral (horizontal) semicircular canal lies nearly flat, tilted up about 30 degrees at the front when the head is upright, and senses turning of the head to the left and right, as in shaking the head. Its ampulla is at its front end, next to the anterior canal's. It bulges into the wall at the back of the middle ear, just above the facial nerve, which makes it a landmark in ear surgery. This model is a simplified shape built from textbook measurements.