Transverse Auricular Muscle Beneath the Dermal Layer, Posterior View

Description

Posterior to the auricle (pinna), the transversus auriculae appears as a thin, flattened sheet of skeletal muscle fibers spanning the posterior surface of the auricular cartilage. Fibers run predominantly transverse, bridging from the eminence of the concha toward the convexity of the scapha and triangular fossa region, with the muscle lying deep to the dermis and superficial to perichondrium and cartilage. The helix and antihelix form the lateral contours, while the conchal bowl sits more medially toward the external acoustic meatus. A small highlighted attachment point marks the focal origin or insertion on the posterior auricular cartilage. Posterior auricular musculature gets overlooked because it rarely drives gross pinna motion in most adults, but it matters when you need clean mental mapping of the soft tissue planes behind the ear. This view aligns with surgical dissection during a postauricular approach for tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy, or cochlear implant placement, where the skin flap and auricular muscles are elevated off the perichondrium and cartilage and where inadvertent injury can contribute to postoperative pinna malposition or contour changes. Small structures, but real landmarks. Use this artwork for head and neck anatomy teaching blocks (auricle and external ear), operative anatomy figures in otologic surgery texts, and patient-facing diagrams explaining postauricular incisions and flap elevation. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.