[The diagnostic value of labyrinthine fistula with multi-planar reconstruction in chronic otitis media by HRCT].

OBJECTIVE

To study the ability of HRCT to delineate the semicircular canals and the diagnostic value of HRCT in identifying labyrinthine fistula in chronic otitis media (COM) by means of multiplanar reconstruction.

METHOD: Eighty-six patients (79 healthy ear and 93 failed ears) with chronic otitis media were scanned with HRCT, and the original data was processed with MPR. In the normal ears the semicircular canals form were individually observed and the canal geometry were compared in axial and coronal and s-MPR. In COM the destruction of the canal were observed and compared with the intraoperative findings.

RESULT: The full length of horizontal semicircular canal can be displayed in some cases and the full length of the three canals can't be displayed in any single coronal image but they can be individually displayed in one image in s-MPR. In the COM, six ears labyrinthine fistula were found in the axial and five ears in coronal images; six ears were located at the horizontal semicircular canal and two ears at the superior semicircular canal in the s-MPR, which corresponded with the intraoperative findings.

CONCLUSIONS

MPR can display the full path of individual semicircular canal in one image and is promising in identifying labyrinthine fistula.