Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography (3D-CT) was Useful for the Diagnosis of Auditory Ossicular Anomaly and Traumatic Ossicular Dislocation: Three Case Reports

We report on two cases of auditory ossicular anomaly and one case of traumatic ossicular dislocation evaluated with three-dimensional images using MDCT (multidetector-row CT). The first patient was an 18-year-old female, who had noticed hearing impairment in her right ear since she was a child. The second patient was a 32-year-old male, complaining of hearing loss in his right ear after a head injury. The third patient was a 27-year-old female who had hearing impairment in her right ear probably from birth. The first and the second patients underwent surgery, and their congenital ossicular anomaly and traumatic ossicular disarticulation were identified intraoperatively, which were almost corresponding to the findings shown by three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). In both cases, the additional information provided by 3D-CT, together with conventional cross-sectional CT images, improved the ability to evaluate and diagnose the auditory ossicular lesions preoperatively. Although the third patient did not undergo surgery because she preferred observation, 3D-CT clearly showed the abnormality of her ossicles compared with conventional CT images, which helped her and her family to understand the reason for her hearing impairment. Our cases indicate that 3D-CT is useful not only for surgeons to optimize surgical planning but also for patients to understand the condition of their middle ear.