The Role of Preoperative Computed Tomography of Temporal Bone in Atticotomy as a New Tool for Determining the Approach

The temporal bone is a complex anatomical structure and so preoperatively computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone is important for choice of the surgical procedure. In this study, evaluation of the surgical difficulty to conduct transmastoid atticotomy with the coronary cut of CT temporal bone. Additional, attic pathology intraoperative is evaluated. The current research is a retrospective study of 79 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media (safe type) with the preoperative opacity of the attic in CT temporal bone. The researcher correlates difficulty to do transmastoid attictomy with the distance in mm between the roof of external audiatory canal (EAC) and tegmen with ruler directly in the coronary cut of CT temporal bone at the the level of internal auditory canal (IAC). The researcher also compares attic pathology intraoperative with preoperative CT attic opacity. In group of surgically difficulty average distance between the superior wall of EAC and tegmen on preoperative CT at the level of IAC is 2–5 mm while distance in easily surgical approach is from 6 to 10 mm. 68.4%(54/79) of cases had pathology in attic in the form of granulation tissue in 50 cases and glue in 4 cases. Preoperative CT temporal bone is very important to detect atticotomy approach either transmastoid or transcanal, through measuring the distance in mm between the roof of EAC and tegmen with ruler directly in the coronal cut of CT temporal bone at the level of internal auditory canal. The opacity of the attic in Preoperative CT does not mean that there is a pathology in the attic.