COMPUTER-TOMOGRAPHY IN CHILDREN AND ADOLE SCENTS WITH SUSPECTED MALFORMATION OF THE PETROUS PORTION OF THE TEMPORAL BONE

Purpose: To demonstrate HRCT findings and their therapeutic relevance in suspected congenital hearing disorders. Material and Methods: It wa s checked in 96 young patients if HRCT findings of the temporal bone c ould explain functional findings. Furthermore, the therapeutic consequ ences were noted. Results: Normal CT and normal functional findings we re obtained in 49 temporal bones (TB). In conductive hearing loss (41 TB), dysplasias of the conducting apparatus (37 TB) and inflammatory c hanges (3 TB) were found. Combined hearing loss (18 TB) was clarified completely or partially in half the cases. There were 22 dysplasias of the inner ear, 3 dysplasias of the middle ear, 1 abandoned examinatio n (2 TB), and 55 normal CT findings in senorineural hearing disorders (82 TB). 1 retardate had a malformation of the inner ear and, contrala terally, inflammatory middle ear. In cases of vestibular disorders (24 TB), 14 malformations of the inner ear were detected. An indication f or an operation was given in 23 TB. in 22 TB, it was contraindicated. The CT was one preliminary examination to a cochlea implant in 19 pati ents. The therapy was carried on with hearing devices in the other pat ients. Conclusion: HRCT is an important method in diagnosis and therap eutic planning of suspected malformations of the temporal bone.