The relationship between mastoid pneumatization and the position of the sigmoid sinus.
Using high-resolution computed tomography, we measured the cross-sectional area of mastoid air cells and the shortest distance between the external auditory canal and the anterior edge of the sigmoid sinus (DIST), and then compared the right-left difference in 70 patients with unilateral chronic otitis media and 23 cases without middle ear disease. DIST was significantly short where there was poor mastoid pneumatization (P < 0.0001), regardless of whether it was the right or left ear. Furthermore, on the well-pneumatized temporal bone, the increase in size of the cross-sectional area was closely correlated with the increase in DIST (r = 0.495). We suggest that the relative position of the external auditory canal and the sigmoid sinus is affected by middle ear inflammations in childhood.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
H
H
Ichijo
M
M
Hosokawa
H
H
Shinkawa
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004424:Ear Canal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008416:Mastoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010035:Otitis Media, Suppurative / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed