title: Head and neck radiology: role of multidetector computed tomography in the evaluation of the tympanic canaliculus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for multiplanar visualisation of the tympanic canaliculus both in healthy individuals and in patients affected by chronic inflammatory disease of the middle ear.
  
  
  METHODS
  A preliminary study was performed on three dried skulls by placing a metal landmark inside the tympanic canal lumen with a view to optimising depiction by multiplanar CT. Subsequently, 50 patients were enrolled in a prospective study. Three of the 100 petrous pyramids studied were excluded owing to the presence of jugulotympanic glomus tumour with severe bone changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The entire course of the tympanic canaliculus was identified in 80/97 petrous pyramids (82.4%), 57 of which were normal (75.4% detection rate) and 40 pathological (90% detection rate). To assess the tympanic canaliculus in the pathological petrous pyramids and evaluate its possible role in the disease process, some qualitative criteria were introduced: canal enlargement, loss of margin sharpness, focal erosion of canal margins and presence of pathological tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDCT represents the only technique allowing evaluation of the tympanic canal in vivo and with multiplanar images in a large number of cases (82.4%).
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche, Università degli Studi di Messina, Policlinico G. Martino, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98100, Messina, Italy. smazziotti@unime.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazziotti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Racchiusa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Settineri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinci
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Salamone
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pandolfo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D005930:Glossopharyngeal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010579:Petrous Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed