title: CT and MRI in malignant external otitis: a report of four cases.
abstract: Malignant external otitis (MEO) is a severe infection of the external auditory canal and skull base which most often affects elderly patients with diabetes mellitus. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are important in terms of reducing risks of dissemination. We report four cases of MEO in patients with diabetes mellitus who were observed with computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI was superior to CT in patients with MEO in terms of estimating the anatomic extent of the disease, but it cannot be used for monitoring therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of CT-MRI, Larissa General Hospital, 1 Tsakalof. Str., Larissa 412 21, Greece. apolsen@yahoo.com
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Karantanas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karantzas
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Katsiva
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Proikas
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sandris
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D019291:Skull Base / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed