J Korean Radiol Soc.  1998 Jul;39(1):51-54.

Three Cases of Tuberculous Otitis Media

• Oh JH
• Sung KJ
• Kim MS
• Kwon TS
• Yoon BM

Abstract

We report the imaging features of three cases of tuberculous otitis media. All three patients underwenttemporal bone CT scanning, and in two, additional MRI scanning was performed. The three cases showed soft tissuedensity in the external auditory canal, and in two, destruction of the trabeculation and internal cortex of themastoid bone was noted. In two patients with facial palsy, erosion of the facial canal was seen. On MRI, abundantgranulomatous tissue was noted in the middle ear cavity and mastoid air cells. In one case, abnormal enhancementof the cochlea, and of the facial and eighth cranial nerve in the internal acoustic canal was seen. Another caseshowed enhancement of the vestibule and lateral semicircular canal. If radiologic evaluation of chronic otitismedia reveals destruction of the tegmen and trabeculation of the mastoid bone, together with abundant granulationtissue and enhancement of the internal ear, tuberculous otitis media may be included in the differentialdiagnosis.

Keyword

Ear, inflammation and infection; Ear, CT; Ear, MR; Tuberculosis

MeSH Terms

Acoustics
Cochlea
Ear Canal
Ear, Inner
Ear, Middle
Facial Paralysis
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Mastoid
Otitis Media*
Otitis*
Semicircular Canals
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Tuberculosis
Vestibulocochlear Nerve