“A study on HRCT of temporal bone in evaluating chronic otitis media and its correlation with surgical findings in a tertiary care hospital”

Abstract

Background: Otitis media (OM), also known as middle ear inflammation, is
classified into three types: acute otitis media (AOM), otitis media with effusion (OME; "glue
ear"), and chronic otitis media. OM can be caused by bacteria or viruses; during "colds,"
viruses can move from the eustachian tube to the middle ear, creating a pathway for bacteria
in the nasopharynx
OBJECTIVES:
• The aim of the work is to study the radiological findings of the temporal bone in patients
with chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma.
• Assessing extent of the disease, ossicular destruction and other potential complications.
MATERIAL & METHODS: Study Design: A prospective hospital-based observational
study.Study area: Department of Radio Diagnosis, Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences,
Karnataka. Study Period: 1 year.Study population: patients attending/referred to the
department of Radiodiagnosis for High resolution computed Tomography of temporal bone.
Sample size: The study consisted of 40 subjects. Sampling method: Simple random
technique.

Results: Of the 30 cases of atticoantral disease studied, 27 (90%) patients had imaging
findings of cholesteatoma whereas 3 (10%) patients had no findings suggestive of
cholesteatoma. Surgery showed cholesteatoma in 26 (86.6%) patients and no cholesteatoma
in 4 (13.3%) patients
CONCLUSION: HRCT of the temporal bone is promising in the pre-operative assessment
of cholesteatoma since it shows the extent of the disease and the integrity of most middle ear
structures. The scan notifies the surgeon to any potential surgical risks or disease
consequences.