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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
In Vivo Morphometric Analysis of Human Cranial Nerves Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Menière's Disease Ears and Normal Hearing Ears
Published on: February 21, 2018
Diagnosis of middle ear disease using tympanograms and digital imaging
Anna Aronzon1, Adam T Ross, Ken Kazahaya
1Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA.
Objective:
The study investigates the ability of physicians with different levels of training to accurately identify middle ear (ME) pathology using tympanograms and tympanic membrane (TM) digital photographs.
Study Design And Setting:
Groups of medical students, internal medicine residents, and attending and resident otolaryngologists were presented with a set of 50 matched tympanograms and photographs of TMs. The physicians were asked to differentiate between a normal and an abnormal-appearing TM. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of ME pathology by physicians were compared with the gold standard, examining the ME cavity for pathology during myringotomy.
Results:
The sensitivity did not vary among physicians with different levels of training; however, specificity improved with an increase in physician experience.
Conclusions And Significance:
This study establishes a baseline for accuracy of diagnosis of ME pathology using tympanograms and photographs of TMs as compared with binocular otomicroscopy and the gold standard, myringotomy.
Ebm Rating:
B-2.
