Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How MRI detects middle ear cholesteatoma in dogs
By Coeuriot, Charlotte et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2024·Department of Diagnostic Imaging, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Characteristics and diagnostic performance of nonechoplanar diffusion-weighted imaging in detecting canine tympanokeratoma (cholesteatoma).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with ear problems underwent advanced MRI scans to check for tympanokeratomas, which are abnormal growths in the middle ear. The scans showed that the imaging technique used was quite effective, accurately identifying these growths about 80% of the time. The best results came from combining different imaging methods, which helped distinguish tympanokeratomas from other ear infections. This means that if your dog has ongoing ear issues, this type of MRI could provide valuable information for diagnosis and treatment options.
People also search for: dog ear problems tympanokeratoma · dog MRI for ear infection · symptoms of ear growth in dogs
Abstract
Tympanokeratomas (cholesteatomas) are destructive keratinic masses of the middle ear that are often treated surgically. In humans, nonechoplanar (non-EP) diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI is efficient in diagnosing tympanokeratomas and differentiating recurrent tympanokeratomas from granulation or fibrous tissue after surgery. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the characteristics of non-EP DWI of histologically or cytologically confirmed canine tympanokeratomas, (2) determine the performance of non-EP DW images, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map and ADC values in discriminating between tympanokeratomas and other causes of otitis media in dogs, and (3) find an optimal ADC cut-off value. Medical records of dogs diagnosed on MRI with otitis media in two veterinary hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-two ears with a cytological or pathological diagnosis of either tympanokeratoma (36/62) or nontympanokeratoma otitis media (26/62) were selected. Diffusion-weighted images had an accuracy of 77.4%, a sensitivity of 94.4%, and a specificity of 53.8% for the detection of tympanokeratoma. The ADC value of middle ear content ranged from 517 to 1355.10 mm/s in tympanokeratoma and from 454 to 2447 × 10 mm/s in nontympanokeratoma otitis media. An ADC value below 916 × 10 mm/s interpreted as a tympanokeratoma yielded an accuracy of 78.7%, a sensitivity of 92.6%, and a specificity of 60%. In the study population, combined qualitative analysis of DW images and ADC maps was the most effective method for diagnosing tympanokeratomas with an accuracy of 80.9%, a sensitivity of 92.6%, and a specificity of 65%.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39329284/