Reliability of Diffusion weighted MRI for the diagnosis of residual & recurrent cholesteatoma

Abstract

Cholesteatoma is a common middle ear pathology that can be congenital or acquired. It may cause serious complication such as hearing loss, facial nerve paralysis or intra-cranial complications in advanced cases. It is mainly diagnosed by otologic examination yet CT examination is essential to confirm the diagnosis in some cases as well as assess its extensions for proper surgical excision. However, CT is poor in differentiation of cholesteatoma from other middle ear pathologies e.g. cholesterol granuloma or granulation tissue in post-operative setting.