Congenital malformations of external and middle ear in children:a result of imaging analysis on high resolution CT and MPR

Objective To study the imaging manifestation of external and middle ear malformations in children.Methods CT scans and multiplanar reformation(MPR) of the temporal bone in seventy children referred to ENT department of Xinhua hospital and Children Medical Center between November 2007 and December 2009 for hearing loss(n=15) and other external ear malformations(n=55) were retrospectively studied.Results External ear malformations were found in 64 patients(73 ears).Of the 51 cases(57 ears) with middle and external ear malformations,7(10 ears) were found to have middle,external and inner ear malformations,6(6 ears) to have only external ear malformations,4(6 ears) to have middle and inner ear malformations,and 2(3 ears) to have only middle ear malformations.External ear meatus malformations found included stenosis,membranous atresia and bony atresia.Middle ear malformations included problems with mastoid pneumatization,tympanic cavity,ossicle joints and windows.Others included facial nerve malformation,cerebrospinal otorrhea and congenital encephalomeningocele.The results showed that patients with membranous atresia of external ear meatus were more likely to have middle and inner ear malformations than patients with meatal stenosis or bony atresia.Conclusion CT examinations and MPR are of great importance for the diagnosis and treatment of children with external and middle ear malformations,especially in deciding on intervention strategies and choice of therapeutic management.