title: Detection of pneumolabyrinth after temporal bone trauma using computed tomography.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Pneumolabyrinth is a very rare condition, even in otic capsule disrupting (OCD) fracture. Hearing was not always impaired, even in cases with OCD fracture. The co-existence of pneumocochlea, regarded as a risk factor for total hearing loss, was extremely rare in cases of pneumolabyrinth.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were to analyze the radiological and clinical features in patients with pneumolabyrinth and to overcome the diagnostic pitfalls encountered during pneumocochlea detection.
  
  
  METHODS
  The temporal bone computed tomographies (TBCT) of 402 patients diagnosed with temporal bone fracture along with their clinical records were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only six patients (7% of those with OCD fractures or 1.5% of those with temporal bone fracture) were found to have pneumolabyrinth. Locations of the pneumolabyrinth were in the vestibule in all six cases and three of them showed air densities both in the cochlea and semicircular canal. The size of the air density in the vestibule was 5.38 ± 4.56 mm(2) at the axial view and 6.57 ± 5.67 mm(2) at the coronal view. The mean minimal Hounsfield unit (HU) of air density area in the vestibule was -968.1 ± 22.94 at the axial view and -941 ± 16.88 at the coronal view. Patients with pneumocochlea eventually developed total hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea ;
authors.forename: Jin Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: b Department of Medical Science, Chungnam National Univesersity, Daejeon, Republic of Korea ;
authors.forename: Ah-Ra
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea ;
authors.forename: Kyeung A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Radiology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea ;
authors.forename: Dami
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea ;|d Brain Research Insititute, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004646:Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007759:Labyrinth Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Temporal bone; pneumolabyrinth; trauma