Comparison of CT and fiberoptic video-endoscopy findings in congenital dysplasia of the external and middle ear

Twenty-six ears (of 25 patients) with congenital dysplasia of the external and middle car were studied with two different types of imaging technologie s in order to find out if it is possible to improve the anatomical overview of the dysplastic middle ears by combining the imaging methods. All the 26 ears were studied with computed tomography (CT), which gave cross-sectiona l images of the tympanic cavity. A fiberoptic video-endoscope (FVE) was int roduced through the nose and via the Eustachian tube into the middle ear so that the topographic view of the anatomical structures of the middle ear c ould be visualized. Some structures were visualized better with FVE than wi th CT and vice versa. We concluded that the combined information obtained f rom these two imaging technologies provided a better understanding of the s tructural anatomy of a congenital dysplastic middle ear.