[Diagnosis of ossicular chain in the middle ear by high-resolution CT]

This study was conducted to assess the usefulness and limitation of high-resolution CT for evaluating the condition of ossicular chain in the middle ear. Preoperative CT findings of the ossicular chain were compared with the operative findings of ossicles in 26 patients with chronic otitis media or congenital ossicular anomaly who underwent tympanoplasty. Total defect of head of the malleus, body of the incus and long process of the incus were completely detected by high-resolution CT. But the reliability in detecting the defect of handle of the malleus and superstructure of the stapes were 33.3% and 60%, respectively. Defect of the I-S joint (1 case) and partial defect of stapes crus (2 cases) could not be diagnosed correctly in the preoperative estimation. Although these findings demonstrate the limitations of high-resolution CT in the diagnosis of ossicular chain, it will be diminished by the advanced space resolution of CT in the future.