Abstract

The HRCT scan gives a good to excellent surgical correlation for the middle ear ossicles. Pre-surgical knowledge of the status of the ossicular chain would allow the surgeon to better advise the patient on the degree of hearing attainable after surgery. All patients with clinical picture of cholesteatoma such as chronic ear discharge, hearing loss with or without signs of impending complications or facial palsy referred for HRCT Temporal bone. HRCT scans showed the presence of a soft tissue mass in all the patients with cholesteatoma (100%), the location of the pathology on the scan was typical for cholesteatoma in 48 patients (96%) and in all the patients (100%) there was radiological evidence of erosion or destruction of the bony walls of the middle ear, mastoid antrum or ossicles. This study revealed that the accuracy and sensitivity was excellent regarding incus, malleus erosion, lateral semicircular canal fistula, sigmoid sinus plate erosion and intracranial complications, good correlation regarding stapes erosion, the tegmen tympani erosion and for the facial nerve canal.

Description