Mastoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures relating to the petrous bone. In this paper we describe our preliminary results in the realization of a virtual reality mastoidectomy simulator. Our system is designed to work on patient-specific volumetric object models directly derived from 3D CT and MRI images. The paper summarizes the detailed task analysis performed in order to de...

Fractures may be unilateral or bilateral. Classically, fractures of the temporal bone are classified into longitudinal or transverse according to its long axis which passes from its base posterolaterally to the petrous apex anteromedially. The direction of a single trauma force may cause a longitudinal fracture on one side and a transverse on the other. Any combination of all fracture types is ...

Using routine histological procedures, it is difficult to distinguish osteoid from calcified bone and woven from lamellar bone in decalcified preparations of bone. Although several alternatives are available to overcome the first difficulty, differential staining of woven and lamellar bone has not been described. In 1958, Attwood modified Lendrum's (1947) phloxine-tartrazine stain to identify f...

Several diseases have been excluded from this chapter, or considered only briefly, as they are covered more appropriately in other sections. Thus, the many causes of severe childhood deadness, in particular teratogenic, hereditary and metabolic, are largely excluded. Secondary involvement of the temporal bone by neoplasms, reticuloses, or by the leukaemias are also described elsewhere, together...

Giant cell tumors (GCT) of the bone are uncommon primary bone neoplasms that occur mainly in the epiphyses of long bones. However, GCT with tumoral growth in the cranium is rarely encountered, particularly in the temporal bone. GCT demonstrates benign histological features but is locally aggressive, and surgical excision is the treatment of choice. The authors describe a 31-year-old man who pre...

Hemifacial spasm can be caused by vascular compression of the facial nerve at the root exit zone from the brainstem. Several case reports suggest that narrowing of the cerebellopontine angle cistern caused by Paget's disease, abnormal elevation of the petrous bone caused by hyperplasia, or contralateral acoustic neurinoma may increase the chance of vascular compression of the facial nerve. Ther...

We present the case of an immunocompetent man who presented with multiple and progressive cranial nerve palsies. The cause was found to be aspergillosis of the petrous bone, arising as a result of chronic fungal otitis media. Despite treatment with local excision and systemic anti-fungal therapy, he died after suffering a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Diagnosis rests upon prompt radiological imagin...

This study compares histological preservation in archeological bones from different burial types to unravel the histotaphonomy-to-funerary practices relationship. ?n intraskeletal approach is also adopted explore intraindividual (inner ear part of petrous bone vs. upper/lower limb long bones) and intrabone (proximal distal diaphysis) variability collagen preservation, ?13C, ?15N. The aim (a) ta...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The CT grading system for otosclerosis was proposed by Symons and Fanning in 2005. The purpose of this study was to determine if this CT grading system has high interobserver and intraobserver agreement. MATERIALS AND METHODS All 997 petrous bone CTs performed between December 2000 and September 2007 were reviewed. A total of 81 subjects had CT evidence of otosclerosis ...

Otosclerosis very often leads to severe hearing loss in a chronic progressive manner. In the first phase of the disease, otospongiosis causes an inflammatory osteolytic process in the osseous labyrinthine capsule. In the cases reported here, this osteolytic process was pronounced in the osseous capsule of the cochlea. High-resolution CT and MRI showed the precise localization and stage of this ...