Correlations between virtual endoscopy and otoendoscopy of the retrotympanum

The aim of this study was to examine the anatomical landmarks of the retrotympanum using two different techniques, virtual endoscopy (VE) and fiberoptic endoscopy, and to correlate the results furnished by the two methods. Ten otosclerotic patients who were due to undergo stapedectomy were scanned using high-resolution spiral CT. Selected CT datasets were processed with Navigator 2.0 software to obtain virtual endoscopic views of the retrotympanum. Subsequently, during the surgical procedure, fiberoptic endoscopy was performed with 2.7-mm 0 degrees and 30 degrees rigid endoscopes. The ability of the two imaging methods to identify specific anatomical structures was then compared. In all cases the pyramidal eminence, pyramidal crest and sinus tympani were clearly identified in both VE images and otoendoscopy recordings, while fiberoptic endoscopy seemed to be less satisfactory than VE for studying the facial sinus, sinus of Proctor and fossula of Grivot. The two techniques proved to be equally sensitive for visualizing the ponticulus and subiculum, while the stapedius tendon could be visualized only by means of fiberoptic endoscopy. Overall, VE imaging appears promising for rendering important anatomical details of the retrotympanum, allowing identification of osseous landmarks and exploring recesses that are difficult to visualize via otoendoscopy.