Indications of HR-CT in the early postoperative phase of stapedotomy

Abstract

This is an analysis of high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT) performed in patients with and without symptoms after stapes surgery during the early postoperative phase. We examined 37 patients who underwent stapes surgery between January 1995 and December 2000. HR-CT of the temporal bone was performed in axial and coronal planes with 1-mm-slice thickness and table feed. A reoperation was performed in 7 patients. CT findings were compared with clinical follow up and surgical findings. All patients showed postoperative opacification of the tympanic cavity and external auditory canal as well as partial opacification of the mastoid on CT scans. A dislocation of the prosthesis was found in 11 cases and air bubbles were seen in the vestibule of 5 patients. In one case, small bone fragments were detected in the vestibule. In 6 of 7 cases, CT results were confirmed by retympanotomy. Due to overlapping of normal and pathological findings in the early postoperative period, indications for HR-CT are limited in this period.