Potential of temporal bone CT in the study of external acoustic meatus in health and pathology

Abstract Computed tomography (CT) was used to examine 50 patients (100 temporal bones) aged from 10 days to 60 years with healthy external acoustic meatus (EAM) and 53 patients (62 temporal bones) aged from 4 to 75 years with symptoms of acquired stenosis, atresia or obturation of the external acoustic meatus. Polyposition CT of the temporal bone including axial and coronary projections is the most informative method of visualization of the EAM bone part. In axial projection the assessment covers the anterior and posterior walls of the EAM, in the coronary one - the upper and the lower walls. In the presence of EAM changes, CT is able to characterize them (soft tissue, bone, size, position). In patients with EAM neoplasms CT of the temporal bone detects polyps of the acoustic meatus, glomal tumors, neurinomas of the facial nerve, inherited cholesteatomas, cancer of the temporal bone. The detected alterations in the EAM and other structures of the temporal bone determine further policy of treatment.