Relationship of petrous temporal bone pneumatization to the eustachian tube lumen.
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.
Jen
Albert
A
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.
Sanelli
Pina C
PC
Banthia
Vishal
V
Victor
Jonathan D
JD
Selesnick
Samuel H
SH
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