title: Relationship of petrous temporal bone pneumatization to the eustachian tube lumen.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Objectives were to determine the incidence of petrous apex pneumatization and to define the relationship between a pneumatized petrous temporal bone and the eustachian tube lumen.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study with institutional review board approval including only adult patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred head computed tomography (ct) scans and 204 petrous temporal bone CT scans performed at a tertiary teaching hospital were reviewed. The two senior authors (s.h.s., p.c.s.) independently reviewed the petrous temporal bone CT scans for grade of pneumatization. Pneumatized CT scans were then reviewed for the presence of a direct communication with the eustachian tube lumen. Significance was determined using the chi test and Pearson correlation of ranks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of peritubal cells opening into the eustachian tube anterior to the tympanic orifice was 92%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The direct communication of peritubal cells with the bony eustachian tube may play a role in the development of persistent cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea after cerebellopontine angle surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jen
authors.forename: Pina C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Sanelli
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Banthia
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Samuel H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Selesnick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed