[Imaging of capsule otosclerosis using computerized tomography]

To investigate whether otosclerotic foci in the bony capsule of the cochlea and labyrinth can be demonstrated by high-resolution computed tomography, CT images from 31 patients suspected of having cochlear otosclerosis were submitted to a retrospective analysis. Fourteen of the patients had a clinically confirmed otosclerosis associated with an advanced mixed hearing loss. In four of these cases, fresh otospongiotic foci were detected in the bone of the cochlear capsule, while older otosclerotic foci were not demonstrated. In fifteen patients with progressive, purely sensorineural hearing loss, no otospongiotic foci were detected in the cochlear capsule. In contrast, such foci were observed in two deaf patients in whom otosclerosis had been suspected.