Congenital aural atresia treated with floating mass transducer on the round window : 5 years of imaging experience

Purpose. The aim of this paper is to illustrate imaging features of patients affected by congenital aural atresia (CAA) before and after treatment with a Vibrant SoundBridge (VSB) device implanted on the round window. Materials and methods. Ten patients (5 males and 5 females; mean age 22.1 years) with CAA underwent preoperative high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to estimate the degree of involvement of the middle-and inner-ear structures and highlight radiological landmarks useful for surgical planning. Results. Bilateral CAA, mostly of the mixed type, was present in 7 patients and ossicular chain abnormalities in 16 ears (94% of cases). The round window region was normal in all patients, whereas facial-nerve course and/or caliber abnormalities were present in 6 ears (35.3%). The tympanic cavity was small in 13 ears (76.5%), whereas the mastoid was well pneumatized in 8/17 (47%). Conclusions. HRCT provides accurate information about anatomy and malformations of the middle and inner ear and can thus assist the surgeon in planning the procedure.