Head and Neck ImagingTympanoplasty
Surgical correction of a damaged
middle ear. Several types of tympanoplasty are distinguished:
type I: simple closure of a tympanic membrane defect, using a fascial tissue layer (myringoplasty).
type II: apart from the restoration of the tympanic membrane, an ossiculoplasty is also performed to reconstruct the connection between the tympanic membrane and the inner ear fluid.
type III: similar to type II, but the stapes is the only remaining part of the ossicular chain; the tympanic membrane directly articulates with the stapes. Sometimes the footplate of the stapes is the only remaining part of the original ossicular chain, with an ossicular fragment or prosthesis assuring the contact between the footplate and the tympanic membrane.
In the absence of a surgical report, CT is useful in type II and III for determining which kind of reconstruction was performed. CT is also useful for evaluation the anatomical continuity of the reconstruction.
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