TY - JOUR
T1 - Imaging anatomy of the retrotympanum
T2 - Variants and their surgical implications
AU - Burd, Christian
AU - Pai, Irumee
AU - Connor, Stephen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors. Published by the British Institute of Radiology.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The retrotympanic anatomy is complex and variable but has received little attention in the radiological literature. With advances in CT technology and the application of cone beam CT to temporal bone imaging, there is now a detailed depiction of the retrotympanic bony structures. With the increasing use of endoscopes in middle ear surgery, it is important for the radiologist to appreciate the nomenclature of the retrotympanic compartments in order to aid communication with the surgeon. For instance, in the context of cholesteatoma, clear imaging descriptions of retrotympanic variability and pathological involvement are valuable in pre-operative planning. The endoscopic anatomy has recently been described and the variants classified. The retrotympanum is divided into medial and lateral compartments with multiple described potential sinuses separated by bony crests. This pictorial review will describe the complex anatomy and variants of the retrotympanum. We will describe optimum reformatting techniques to demonstrate the structures of the retrotympanum and illustrate the associated anatomical landmarks and variants with CT. The implications of anatomical variants with regards to otologic surgery will be discussed.
AB - The retrotympanic anatomy is complex and variable but has received little attention in the radiological literature. With advances in CT technology and the application of cone beam CT to temporal bone imaging, there is now a detailed depiction of the retrotympanic bony structures. With the increasing use of endoscopes in middle ear surgery, it is important for the radiologist to appreciate the nomenclature of the retrotympanic compartments in order to aid communication with the surgeon. For instance, in the context of cholesteatoma, clear imaging descriptions of retrotympanic variability and pathological involvement are valuable in pre-operative planning. The endoscopic anatomy has recently been described and the variants classified. The retrotympanum is divided into medial and lateral compartments with multiple described potential sinuses separated by bony crests. This pictorial review will describe the complex anatomy and variants of the retrotympanum. We will describe optimum reformatting techniques to demonstrate the structures of the retrotympanum and illustrate the associated anatomical landmarks and variants with CT. The implications of anatomical variants with regards to otologic surgery will be discussed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076448086&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1259/bjr.20190677
DO - 10.1259/bjr.20190677
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31593485
AN - SCOPUS:85076448086
SN - 0007-1285
VL - 93
JO - British Journal of Radiology
JF - British Journal of Radiology
IS - 1105
M1 - 20190677
ER -