Comparison of the Accuracy of CBCT and MDCT Imaging Modalities in Determining the Distance between the Incus and the Facial Nerve and the Round Window and the Oval Window: A Cadaveric Cross-sectional Study: -

TL;DR

This study compares the accuracy of CBCT and MDCT imaging in measuring ear structures important for cochlear implant planning using cadaveric samples.

Contribution

The study evaluates the reliability of low-resolution CBCT and MDCT as alternatives to high-resolution CBCT for cochlear implant planning.

Findings

High-resolution CBCT showed high agreement in measuring distances between ear structures.

MDCT and low-resolution CBCT had significant differences compared to high-resolution CBCT.

Low-resolution CBCT and MDCT showed similar measurement accuracy.

Abstract

Hearing loss is the most common birth defect, and cochlear implants are an
effective treatment for severe sensorineural loss. This study compared CBCT
and MDCT accuracy in measuring key ear structures to aid cochlear implant
planning.

In this cadaveric cross-sectional laboratory study, 12 temporal bones along
with their covering soft tissue in the archive of the ENT department of Imam
Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz were studied. Imaging was performed using
high-resolution CBCT, low-resolution CBCT, and MDCT modalities. Measurements
were performed by an oral and maxillofacial radiologist and a general
radiologist. The obtained data were analyzed descriptively and analytically
in SPSS21 software.

The results revealed a high agreement between the data related to the
distance of the incus from the facial nerve and the distance of the oval
window from the round window in High-resolution CBCT, Low-resolution CBCT,
and MDCT images. However, there was a significant difference in the
measurement of MDCT and low-resolution CBCT compared to high-resolution
CBCT. There was no significant difference in the measurement between MDCT
and low-resolution CBCT.

Based on our study and some previous studies on quantitative measurements of
CBCT and MDCT imaging, low-resolution CBCT can be more reliably replaced by
MDCT and achieve acceptable results compared to MDCT using a lower radiation
dose. More studies are needed regarding the significant difference between
high-resolution CBCT and MDCT, but the higher resolution of the borders in
high-resolution CBCT images may be the reason for this result.

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