Training Collections
Library Memberships
On-demand course library with video lectures, expert case reviews, and more
Fellowship Certificate™ Programs
Practice-focused training programs designed to help you gain experience in a specific subspecialty area.
Ultimate Learning Pass
Unlock access to our full Course Library and all self-paced Fellowships.
Continuing Medical Education (State CME)
Complete all of your state CME requirements in one convenient place.
Noon Conference (Free)
Get access to free live lectures, every week, from top radiologists.
Case of the Week (Free)
Get a free weekly case delivered right to your inbox.
Case Crunch: Rapid Case Review (Free)
Register for free live board reviews.
Dr. Resnick's MSK Conference
Learn directly from the MSK Master himself.
Lower Extremities MRI Conference
Musculoskeletal Imaging
Emergency Imaging
Emergency GI & Abdominal Radiology FellowshipNEW!
PET Imaging
Pediatric Imaging
For Training Programs
Supplement your training program with case-based learning for residents, registrars, fellows, and more.
For Private Practices
Upskill in high growth, advanced imaging areas.
Compliance
NewTrack, fulfill, and report on all your radiologists' credentialing and licensing requirements.
Emergency Call Prep
Prepare trainees to be on call for the emergency department with this specialized training series.
Training Collections
Library Memberships
On-demand course library with video lectures, expert case reviews, and more
Fellowship Certificate™ Programs
Practice-focused training programs designed to help you gain experience in a specific subspecialty area.
Ultimate Learning Pass
Unlock access to our full Course Library and all self-paced Fellowships.
Continuing Medical Education (State CME)
Complete all of your state CME requirements in one convenient place.
Noon Conference (Free)
Get access to free live lectures, every week, from top radiologists.
Case of the Week (Free)
Get a free weekly case delivered right to your inbox.
Case Crunch: Rapid Case Review (Free)
Register for free live board reviews.
Dr. Resnick's MSK Conference
Learn directly from the MSK Master himself.
Lower Extremities MRI Conference
Musculoskeletal Imaging
Emergency Imaging
Emergency GI & Abdominal Radiology FellowshipNEW!
PET Imaging
Pediatric Imaging
For Training Programs
Supplement your training program with case-based learning for residents, registrars, fellows, and more.
For Private Practices
Upskill in high growth, advanced imaging areas.
Compliance
NewTrack, fulfill, and report on all your radiologists' credentialing and licensing requirements.
Emergency Call Prep
Prepare trainees to be on call for the emergency department with this specialized training series.
42 topics, 3 hr. 3 min. of video
Introduction to Imaging The Middle Ear
5 m.Anatomy of the Middle Ear on CT
10 m.Otomastoiditis Summary
9 m.Otomastoiditis Case Study
3 m.Otomastoiditis w/ Labyrinthitis
7 m.Otitis Media with Ossicular Erosion
5 m.Mastoiditis with Abscess
5 m.Coalescent Mastoiditis Extensive Complications
6 m.Cholesteatoma Summary
8 m.Cholesteatoma Case Study
6 m.Cholesteatoma, Facial Nerve Dehiscence
6 m.Granulation Tissue Vs. Cholesteatoma
6 m.Post Operative MR Cholesteatoma
2 m.Total Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis (TORP)
2 m.Paraganglioma Summary
6 m.Glomus Tympanicum DDX VVM
3 m.Glomus Tympanicum
3 m.Glomus Jugulotympanicum
6 m.Right Glomus Tympanicum, Left Glomus Jugulare, Meningioma, Aneurysm, Multiple Paragangliomas
5 m.Red Retrotympanic Masses DDX
6 m.Persistent Stapedial Artery
4 m.Right Facial Nerve Hemangioma
3 m.Left sided Facial Hemangioma
2 m.Cholesterol Granuloma
6 m.Middle Ear Congenital Anomalies – Summary
6 m.Second Branchial Apparatus Anomaly
1 m.Encephalocele Congenital vs. Acquired Review
4 m.Middle Ear Benign Neoplasms and Normal/Abnormal Facial Enhance
6 m.Facial Schwannoma
5 m.ELST’s – Summary
4 m.Endolymphatic Sac Tumor (ELST)
4 m.VonHipple Lindau with ELST
3 m.Meningioma (Middle Ear)
4 m.Malignant Processes of the Middle Ear – Summary
4 m.Leukemic Chloroma Mastoid
4 m.Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with MEC Extension
2 m.Fractures in the Middle Ear – Summary
6 m.Fractures with Incudo-Stapedial Dislocation
4 m.Post-op Cholesteatoma, Cholesteatoma Complications
6 m.Middle Ear Epidermoid, Temporal Bone Fx, High Riding Jugular Bulb, Dehiscence
7 m.Canal Wall Up Mastoidectomy, Recurrent Cholesteatoma, TORP
4 m.Middle Ossicular Fusion, EAC Atresia
4 m.0:01
Okay,
0:01
so let's take a look at this first pathologic case.
0:04
And what we notice almost immediately
0:07
is that there is opacification,
0:09
which is present in the middle ear cavity bilaterally.
0:13
So, let's stop at this level.
0:14
So at this level,
0:16
we see, on the right side, the head of the malleus
0:18
and the short process of the incus,
0:21
the ice cream and the ice cream cone.
0:23
And there is opacification in the middle ear cavity,
0:26
as well as in the anterior epitympanic space.
0:30
And we also see the opacification of the mastoid
0:33
air cells with the aditus ad antrum,
0:35
the connection between the middle ear
0:37
cavity and the mastoid antrum.
0:39
And we don't really see destruction of these mastoid septae.
0:45
Might be a little bit concerned down here,
0:47
but it looks almost symmetrical.
0:49
That might just be normal variation.
0:51
And you see that there is soft tissue which is all
0:56
around the neck of the malleus and the long process of
1:00
the incus extending to the stapes.
1:02
And even at the oval window, there is soft tissue there.
1:05
And this is also seen on the left side.
1:09
So on the left side, not as bad.
1:11
We see mastoid fluid.
1:13
We do see some soft tissue around the incudostapedial
1:17
joint and the stapes.
1:19
And I'm saying soft tissue,
1:21
but this is usually just fluid.
1:24
And in this situation,
1:26
we would comment about the otomastoiditis without any
1:31
complications identified that would suggest
1:33
either coalescent mastoiditis or mass effect
1:36
that might suggest a cholesteatoma.
1:39
Now, as I mentioned, we want to look at the scout view.
1:43
And why do we want to look at the scout view?
1:45
So the scout view, in this case, is to identify that this
1:49
is an adult. So once we have an adult with otomastoiditis,
1:53
we want to make sure that we're going to be looking
1:55
at the nasopharynx. And once again, this patient,
2:00
for what looked like an older person on the scout image,
2:06
has an awful lot of nasopharyngeal adenoidal tissue,
2:10
and it's somewhat asymmetrical to the left side.
2:14
So this is the case that although we would have a good
2:17
description of the middle ear cavity and mastoid issues,
2:22
we would also talk about the prominence of the adenoidal
2:26
tissue greater than expected for a 60-year-old,
2:28
with some asymmetry to the left side.
2:31
Recommend endoscopic evaluation.
2:34
And this may be a patient who,
2:36
in this case, was an HIV patient
2:39
who had adenoidal hypertrophy,
2:41
which may have occluded the eustachian tube orifices
2:44
bilaterally and led to eustachian tube dysfunction
2:48
and bilateral otomastoiditis.
Interactive Transcript
0:01
Okay,
0:01
so let's take a look at this first pathologic case.
0:04
And what we notice almost immediately
0:07
is that there is opacification,
0:09
which is present in the middle ear cavity bilaterally.
0:13
So, let's stop at this level.
0:14
So at this level,
0:16
we see, on the right side, the head of the malleus
0:18
and the short process of the incus,
0:21
the ice cream and the ice cream cone.
0:23
And there is opacification in the middle ear cavity,
0:26
as well as in the anterior epitympanic space.
0:30
And we also see the opacification of the mastoid
0:33
air cells with the aditus ad antrum,
0:35
the connection between the middle ear
0:37
cavity and the mastoid antrum.
0:39
And we don't really see destruction of these mastoid septae.
0:45
Might be a little bit concerned down here,
0:47
but it looks almost symmetrical.
0:49
That might just be normal variation.
0:51
And you see that there is soft tissue which is all
0:56
around the neck of the malleus and the long process of
1:00
the incus extending to the stapes.
1:02
And even at the oval window, there is soft tissue there.
1:05
And this is also seen on the left side.
1:09
So on the left side, not as bad.
1:11
We see mastoid fluid.
1:13
We do see some soft tissue around the incudostapedial
1:17
joint and the stapes.
1:19
And I'm saying soft tissue,
1:21
but this is usually just fluid.
1:24
And in this situation,
1:26
we would comment about the otomastoiditis without any
1:31
complications identified that would suggest
1:33
either coalescent mastoiditis or mass effect
1:36
that might suggest a cholesteatoma.
1:39
Now, as I mentioned, we want to look at the scout view.
1:43
And why do we want to look at the scout view?
1:45
So the scout view, in this case, is to identify that this
1:49
is an adult. So once we have an adult with otomastoiditis,
1:53
we want to make sure that we're going to be looking
1:55
at the nasopharynx. And once again, this patient,
2:00
for what looked like an older person on the scout image,
2:06
has an awful lot of nasopharyngeal adenoidal tissue,
2:10
and it's somewhat asymmetrical to the left side.
2:14
So this is the case that although we would have a good
2:17
description of the middle ear cavity and mastoid issues,
2:22
we would also talk about the prominence of the adenoidal
2:26
tissue greater than expected for a 60-year-old,
2:28
with some asymmetry to the left side.
2:31
Recommend endoscopic evaluation.
2:34
And this may be a patient who,
2:36
in this case, was an HIV patient
2:39
who had adenoidal hypertrophy,
2:41
which may have occluded the eustachian tube orifices
2:44
bilaterally and led to eustachian tube dysfunction
2:48
and bilateral otomastoiditis.
Report
Description
Faculty
David M Yousem, MD, MBA
Professor of Radiology, Vice Chairman and Associate Dean
Johns Hopkins University
Tags
Temporal bone
Neuroradiology
Infectious
Head and Neck
CT
Brain
© 2026 Medality. All Rights Reserved.