Author(s)

Dounia Basraoui, Kenza Elatiqi, Hicham Jalal

Mother and Child Radiology Department, Mohamed VI University Hospital, Marrakesh, Morocco.

Like any organ in children, the ear has particular anatomical features that are well shown in imaging. The petrous bone computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosing ear pathologies and evaluating surgical possibilities. In children, the ear has the peculiarity of having the morphology and size of adults, and the only difference resides in the components of the middle and inner ear related to the growth of the temporal bone and the state of ossification which are progressive with age. Some aspects of growth can simulate pathology and must be known. The pneumatisation of the temporal bone occurs gradually after birth and in several outbreaks until adulthood. The external auditory canal, the internal auditory meatus and the petromastoid canal progressively reach the adult aspect because of the growth of the petrous bone. This work aims to highlight the particularities of the petrous bone CT in pediatrics, since it has become widely used in the exploration of malformations, trauma, infectious complications of the ear and in the assessment of deafness.

Petrous Bone, Children, CT, Ear Development

Basraoui, D. , Elatiqi, K. and Jalal, H. (2018) Computed Tomography of the Petrous Bone: Particularities in Children. Advances in Molecular Imaging, 8, 15-24. doi: 10.4236/ami.2018.82002.