Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Insights into Imaging
Published in: Insights into Imaging 1/2012

Open Access 01-02-2012 | Pictorial Review

External and middle ear diseases: radiological diagnosis based on clinical signs and symptoms

Authors: Agnieszka Trojanowska, Andrzej Drop, Piotr Trojanowski, Katarzyna Rosińska-Bogusiewicz, Janusz Klatka, Barbara Bobek-Billewicz

Published in: Insights into Imaging | Issue 1/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Objective

Pathology of the external and middle ear is the most frequent reason to prescribe antibiotics and perform surgery in children and young adults. In the majority of cases imaging studies are not performed; the need for imaging comes when complications are suspected or when treatment is not effective. This paper discusses indications for temporal bone imaging studies and presents the most frequent pathological conditions, together with differential diagnosis, clinical symptoms and methods of treatment.

Methods and Results

This pictorial review describes major external and middle ear diseases, with special regard to clinical findings and appropriate reporting.

Conclusions

Apprehension of the complete clinical picture, together with imaging clues, narrows differential diagnosis and helps avoid mistakes. Evaluation of temporal bone pathologies requires close cooperation between the clinician and radiologist.
Literature
1.
Zielhuis GA, Rach GH, Van den Bosch A, Van den Broek P (1990) The prevalence of otitis media with effusion: a critical review of the literature. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 15:283–288PubMedCrossRef
2.
Williamson I (2006) Otitis media with effusion. Clin Evid 15:814–821PubMed
3.
Birch L, Elbrond O (1997) Prospective epidemiological study of common colds and secretory otitis media. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 12:45–48CrossRef
4.
Harnsberger HR (1995) The temporal bone: external, middle and inner ear segments. In: Gay SM (ed) Handbook of head and neck imaging Mosby, St. Louis 426–458
5.
Lemmerling M, De Foer B (2004) Imaging of cholesteatomatous and non-cholesteatomatous middle ear disease. In: Lemmerling M, Kollias SS (eds) Radiology of the petrous bone. Springer, New York, pp 31–47CrossRef
6.
Harnsberger HR (2005) Diagnostic imaging. Head and neck, 1st edn. Amirsys INC
7.
8.
Ishimoto SI, Ito K, Yamasoba T, Kondo K, Karino S, Takegoshi H, Kaga K (2005) Correlation between microtia and temporal bone malformation evaluated using grading systems. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 131:326–329PubMedCrossRef
9.
Jahrsdoerfer RA, Yeakley JW, Aguilar EA, Cole RR, Gray LC (1992) Grading system for the selection of patients with congenital aural atresia. Am J Otol 13:6–12PubMed
10.
Amorosa L, Modugno GC, Pirodda A (1996) Malignant external otitis: review and personal experience. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl 521:1–16
11.
Grandis JR, Curtin HD, Yu VL (1995) Necrotizing (malignant) external otitis: Prospective comparison of CT and MR imaging in diagnosis and follow-up. Radiology 196:499–504PubMedCrossRef
12.
Grandis JR, Branstetter BF IV, Yu VL (2004) The changing face of malignant (necrotising) external otitis: Clinical, radiological, and anatomic correlations. Lancet Infect Dis 4:34–39CrossRef
13.
Wong BJF, Cervantes W, Doyle KJ, Karamzadeh AM, Boys P, Brauel G, Mushtaq E (1999) Prevalence of external auditory canal exostoses in surfers. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 125:969–972PubMedCrossRef
14.
Fenton JE, Turner J, Fagan PA (1996) A histopathologic review of temporal bone exostoses and osteomata. Laryngoscope 106:624–628PubMedCrossRef
15.
Pfreundner L, Schwager K, Willner J, Baier K, Bratengeier K, Brunner FX, Flentje M (1999) Carcinoma of the external auditory canal and middle ear. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 44:777–788PubMedCrossRef
16.
Arriaga M, Curtin H, Hirsch BE, Takahashi H, Kamerer DB (1990) Staging proposal for external auditory meatus carcinoma based on preoperative clinical examination and computed tomography findings. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 99:714–721PubMedCrossRef
17.
Lemmerling MM, De Foer B, VandeVyver V, Vercruysse J-P, Verstraete KL (2008) Imaging of the opacified middle ear. Eur J Radiol 66:363–371)
18.
Cannon CR, Jahrsdoerfer RA (1983) Temporal bone fractures: review of 90 cases. Arch Otolaryngol 109:285–291PubMedCrossRef
19.
Ishman SL, Friedland DR (2004) Temporal bone fractures: Traditional classification and clinical relevance. Laryngoscope 114:1734–1739PubMedCrossRef
20.
Dahiya R, Keller JD, Litofsky NS (1999) Temporal bone fractures: Otic capsule sparing versus otic capsule violating; clinical and radiographic considerations. J Trauma 47:1079–1085PubMedCrossRef
21.
Sadé J, Russo E, Fuchs C, Cohen D (2003) Is secretory otitis media a single disease entity? Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 112:342–347PubMedCrossRef
22.
Manolidis S, Pappas D, Von Doersten P (1998) Temporal bone and lateral skull base malignancy: experience and results with 81 patients. Am J Otol 19:S1–S15PubMedCrossRef
23.
Swartz JD (1984) Cholesteatomas of the middle ear: diagnosis, etiology and complications. Radiol Clin North Am 22:15–35PubMed
24.
Vercruysse JP, De Foer B, Somers T, Casselman J, Offeciers E (2009) Magnetic resonance imaging of cholesteatoma: an update. B-ENT 5:233–40PubMed
25.
Swartz JD, Wolfson RJ Marlowe FI (1985) Postinflammatory ossicular fixation: CT analysis with surgical correlation. Radiology 154:697–700PubMedCrossRef
26.
Vercruysse P, De Foer B, Pouillon M (2006) The value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the diagnosis of primary acquired and residual cholesteatoma: a surgical verified study of 100 patients. Eur Radiol 16:1461–1467PubMedCrossRef
27.
De Foer B, Vercruysse JP, Pilet B (2006) Single-shot, turbo spin-echo, diffusion- weighted imaging versus spin-echo-planar, diffusion-weighted imaging in the detection of acquired middle ear cholesteatoma. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 27:1480–1482PubMed
28.
De Foer B, Vercruysse JP, Spaepen M (2010) Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal bone. Neuroradiology 52:785–807PubMedCrossRef
29.
Cheesman AD (1997) Glomus and other tumours of the ear. Otology 3:1–16
30.
Jackson CG (2001) Glomus tympanicum and glomus jugulare tumors. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 34:941–970PubMedCrossRef
31.
Alaani A, Chavda SV, Irving RM (2009) The crucial role of Imaging in determining the approach to glomus tympanicum tumors. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 266:827–831PubMedCrossRef
32.
Saleh E, Achilli V, Naguib M, Taibah AK, Russo A, Sanna M, Mazzoni A (1995) Facial nerve neuromas: diagnosis and management. Am J Otol 16:521–526PubMed
33.
Devaney KO, Boschman CR, Willard SC, Ferlito A, Rinaldo A (2005) Tumours of the external ear and temporal bone. Lancet Oncol 6:411–420PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
External and middle ear diseases: radiological diagnosis based on clinical signs and symptoms
Authors
Agnieszka Trojanowska
Andrzej Drop
Piotr Trojanowski
Katarzyna Rosińska-Bogusiewicz
Janusz Klatka
Barbara Bobek-Billewicz
Publication date
01-02-2012
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Insights into Imaging / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1869-4101
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13244-011-0126-z

Other articles of this Issue 1/2012

Insights into Imaging 1/2012 Go to the issue

Original Article

Interventional radiology at the meetings of the German Radiological Society from 1998 to 2008: evaluation of structural changes and radiation issues

Statement

Mammography: EUSOBI recommendations for women’s information

Original Article

Gonad shielding in paediatric pelvic radiography: disadvantages prevail over benefit

Editorial

ESR guidelines for the communication of urgent and unexpected findings

Original Article

Ultrafast imaging of the entire chest without ECG synchronisation or beta-blockade: to what extent can we analyse the coronary arteries?

Pictorial Review

Tomosynthesis in pulmonary cystic fibrosis with comparison to radiography and computed tomography: a pictorial review