Tomographic evaluation of the contralateral ear in patients with severe chronic otitis media

Some studies indicate a bilateral tendency of chronic otitis media. It is believed that the contralateral ear can provide evidences of the route of formation of ear disease in the most affected, be a parameter of Eustachian tube function and predict successful treatment. The CT scan is an excellent test to evaluate the structures of the temporal bone and the changes resulting from otitis media. Objective: To evaluate Temporal Bone Computed Tomography of patients with chronic otitis media and describe abnormalities in the contralateral ear. Method: Cross-sectional study. Evaluation of CT scans of 75 patients with chronic otitis media from a tertiary referral hospital in Brazil by a neuroradiologist. Results: Population was consisted of 50.6% males with a mean age of 36 years. We found 54.7% of changes in contralateral ear clearly associated with chronic otitis media. Conclusion: The prevalence of radiographic changes in the contralateral ears of patients with chronic otitis media corroborates with clinical, histopathological and functional resources developed by the same group that this disease has a bilateral feature.