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Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy
Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 3/2020

01-03-2020 | Computed Tomography | Original Article

Evaluation of the human petrotympanic fissure using anatomized cadaveric specimens and multi-detector CT imaging

Authors: Óscar Villalba, Santiago Rojas, Marisa Ortega, Alberto Solano, Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza

Published in: Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy | Issue 3/2020

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the current study is twofold. First, to investigate the variability of the petrotympanic fissure’s (PTF) morphology in anatomized human cadaveric specimens using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT), and second, to compare the resulting measurements to investigate the possibilities of applying MDCT in the determination of PTF morphology in living humans.

Methods

Specimens (n = 15) containing the temporal bone and TMJ were obtained from embalmed adult female (53.3%) and male (46.7%) cadavers and imaged using a helical 16-row scanner. Afterwards, cryosections were obtained and morphometric parameters were measured. Degree of agreement between both determinations was investigated and morphometric variables were also compared between PTF types.

Results

Three different types of PTF were identified. Type 1 was a wide tunnel-shaped structure. It was found in 20% of the cases. Type 2 was wide in the entrance but gradually narrows to the tympanic cavity. It was found in 46.7% of specimens. Finally, type 3, which was observed in 33.3% of the cases, was wide at the entrance of the mandibular fossa, followed by a middle region with flat-shaped tunnel structure and a narrow exit. The PTF’s vertical diameters at the mandibular fossa, midpoint, and tympanic cavity and the width at the mandibular fossa all were significantly greater in type 1 specimens.

Conclusions

MDCT is suitable for investigating the variable morphology of human PTF and its association with middle ear’s and TMJ pathologies.
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Metadata
Title
Evaluation of the human petrotympanic fissure using anatomized cadaveric specimens and multi-detector CT imaging
Authors
Óscar Villalba
Santiago Rojas
Marisa Ortega
Alberto Solano
Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza
Publication date
01-03-2020
Publisher
Springer Paris
Published in
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy / Issue 3/2020
Print ISSN: 0930-1038
Electronic ISSN: 1279-8517
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-019-02346-0

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