CT DIAGNOSIS OF MIDDLE EAR MALIGNANT DISEASES<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Su Danke

(CT Department, Affiliated tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China )

Abstract

　　Objective: To study CT diagnosis and differential diagnosis of middle ear malignant diseases.

　　Method: High-resolution CT findings and clinical manifestations of 10 patients with various middle ear malignant diseases (squamous cell carcinoma 5 cases, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 4 cases, malignant granuloma 1 case) and 19 patients with various middle ear benign diseases proved by surgeon and pathology were analyzed, and the main points of CT diagnosis of middle ear malignant diseases were summarized.

　　Results: The main points of CT diagnosis of the middle ear malignant diseases:  (1) The lesion appeared mostly single irregular soft-mass ,without the appearance of  “multicentric-focus-lesion” which was common in benign diseases . (2) The bone structure in the area of lesion was destructed completely. The lesion might invade the bone structures  outside the middle ear .The edge of the bone destructive region was indistinct and irregular, without the benign CT feature of “edge bone sclerosis”. (3) The lesion might usually and extensively destructed the walls of the sigmoid sinus and the mastoid process, and accompanied with swelling of the soft tissues around the mastoid process, but had seldom invaded the structure of   craniocerebral.

　　Conclusion: Based on above main points, most of middle ear malignant diseases could be diagnosis by CT. The history of sanguinolent-purulent ear discharg was important for diagnosis, in the atypical cases.

Key Wards：  Middle ear; Malignant diseases; Tomography, X-ray computed