Virtual otoscopy - technique, indications, and initial experience with multi-slice spiral CT.

We report the standardized postprocessing of high-resolution CI data acquired by incremental CT and multi-slice CT in patients with suspected middle ear disorders to generate three-dimensional endoluminal views known as virtual otoscopy. Materials and methods: Subsequent to the definition of a postprocessing protocol, standardized endoluminal views of the middle ear were generated according to their otological relevance. The HRCT data sets of 26 ENT patients were transferred to a workstation and postprocessed to 52 virtual otoscopies. Results: Generation of predefined endoluminal views from the HRCT data sets was possible in all patients. Virtual endoscopic views added meaningful information to the primary cross-sectional data in patients suffering from ossicular pathology, having contraindications for invasive tympanic endoscopy or being assessed for surgery of the tympanic cavity. Multi slice CT improved the visualization of subtle anatomic details such as the stapes suprastructure and reduced the scanning time. Conclusion: Virtual endoscopy allows for the non invasive endoluminal visualization of various tympanic lesions. Use of the multi-slice CT technique reduces the scanning time and improves image quality in terms of detail resolution.