CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS OF THE EXTERNAL AND MIDDLE EAR: COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION

The authors used the high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) forexamining 52 congenital malformed ears in 45 children between 5 and 10 years ofage. In six children the congenital malformations were bilateral. From the clinicaspect, the malformations were manifested as microtia, atresia of the external auditorychannel and conductive hearing loss.In analyzing the anatomic details and pathological changes on the CT sectionsthe authors found three groups of malformations. In the first group the auditoryossicles were almost always malformed; in the second group, beside the defonnedauditory ossicles in almost all the cases there was apneumatized mastoid found whilein the third group the auditory ossicles were malformed, the mastoids were apneumatizedand in more than half of the cases the cavum timpani was malformed orfilled with messenchyma.These characteristics are of great importance in the surgical reconstruction ofthe congenital ear's malformations.