Oval window Oval window View of the inner wall of the tympanum. ( label is 'fen. oval. ' - black circle near top . ) Right osseous labyrinth . Lateral view. ( label is 've stibular fenestra ' - black circle near center . ) Latin fenestra ovalis or fenestra vestibuli Gray 's subject # 230 1040 MeSH A09.246.631.909.551 The oval window ( or vestibular window ) is a membrane-covered opening which leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear . Vibrations arriving at the eardrum are transmitted via the interacting ossicles from the middle ear through the membrane of the fenestra ovalis to the inner ear . It is a reniform ( kidney-shaped ) opening leading from the tympanic cavity into the vestibule of the internal ear ; its long diameter is horizontal , and its convex border is upward . In the recent state it is occupied by the base of the stapes , the circumference of which is fixed by the annular ligament to the margin of the foramen . External links Diagram at University of Wisconsin This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray 's Anatomy . As such , some of the information contained herein may be outdated . Please edit the article if this is the case , and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant .  This anatomy article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Sensory system - Auditory system - edit Outer ear : Pinna  | Ear canal   Middle ear : Eardrum  | Ossicles   ( Malleus ,   Incus   & Stapes )  | Stapedius  | Tensor tympani  | Eustachian tube Inner ear : Cochlea   ( Scala vestibuli ,   Scala media   & Scala tympani )  | Oval window  | Helicotrema  | Round window  | Basilar membrane  | Reissner 's membrane | Organ of Corti  | Hair cells  | Stereocilia Brain : Cochlear nerve VIII  → Cochlear nuclei  → Superior olivary nuclei  → Inferior colliculi  → Medial geniculate nuclei  → Primary auditory cortex Categories : Anatomy stubs | Auditory system In other languages : Español | Bahasa Indonesia | Italiano | Nederlands Oval window fenestra ovalis or fenestra vestibuli 230 1040 Gray911.png View of the inner wall of the tympanum. ( label is 'fen. oval. ' - black circle near top. ) Gray920.png Right osseous labyrinth . Lateral view. ( label is 've stibular fenestra ' - black circle near center. ) Oval+Window A09.246.631.909.551 