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 technologies 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-sectional images of the tympanic cavity. A fiberoptic video-endoscope (FVE) was introduced 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 could be visualized. Some structures were visualized better with FVE than with CT and vice versa. We concluded that the combined information obtained from these two imaging technologies provided a better understanding of the structural anatomy of a congenital dysplastic middle ear.