Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Meatus
Introduction
In anatomy, a meatus is a natural body opening or canal (Latin, 4th declension pl. meatus, or meatuses – often incorrectly meati).
Examples include:
- the external acoustic meatus, the opening of the ear canal
- The internal auditory meatus, a canal in the temporal bone of the skull
- the urinary meatus, which is the opening of the urethra, situated on the glans penis in males, and in the vulva in females
- the superior meatus, middle meatus and inferior meatus of the nose
See also
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]