Usually middle ear surgery is preceded by auricle reconstruction. Bilateral atresia is treated surgically at the age of 5–6 years. If the other ear is functioning well, unilateral atresia is not treated. A pre-surgical rating of 8 points translates into an 80% chance of resorting hearing to normal or near-normal levels.Īcquired EAC stenosis (surfer’s ear), EAC osteoma, EAC cholesteatoma. Patients with a pre-surgical rating of ≤5 points should not be considered surgical candidates. , who evaluated eight critical areas of temporal bone anatomy, each area receiving 1 rating scale point, with the exception of the presence of a stapes, which received 2 points (Table 1). For selection of best surgical candidates, images should be evaluated according to the grading system proposed by Jahrsdorfer et al. Radiological findings are critical for accurate classification of the severity of disease and surgical decision-making. Since atretic external auditory canal does not allow visualization of tympanic membrane and middle ear structures, imaging studies are mandatory. High-resolution CT (HRCT) of the temporal bone is the method of choice.

In such ears the sound cannot reach the tympanic membrane this is why conductive hearing loss results. On clinical examination, usually the auricle is malformed (microtia) and the EAC is not patent or significantly narrowed. Among the most important ones are: External auditory canal (EAC) atresia DefinitionĪbsence of external ear canal being a birth defect, and accompanied by auricle malformation. The external ear is accessible to direct evaluation and indications for imaging are limited. Information obtained this way, when combined with imaging findings, provides an accurate and trustworthy diagnosis, allows avoiding misinterpretation and ensures appropriate treatment. Usually, patients with temporal bone pathology first undergo clinical examination, often with audiology tests. Also, in non-inflammatory conditions of external and middle ear computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would provide a diagnosis and/or necessary information for surgery in a significant number of cases. Therefore, especially in complicated and recurrent conditions, imaging plays an important role imaging findings may fundamentally influence the treatment. However, the prevalence of ear infections increased significantly between 19, and this may suggest that the current approach to preventing and treating middle ear inflammation is not adequate. In the majority of these cases, proper diagnosis is made by clinical examination alone and patients will not benefit from additional diagnostic imaging studies. In children and teenagers, inflammatory conditions of the middle ear are the most frequent reasons to prescribe antibiotics and perform surgery. Pathology of the external and middle ear is the third most common reason of visiting a general practitioner or a family doctor.

Mri internal auditory canal