A Comparative Analysis of Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and High- Resolution Computed Tomography-Temporal Bone in Preoperative Assessment of Patients for Cochlear Implantation

Objective: To compare the roles of MRI and HRCT-Temporal bone as a part of preoperative evaluation of candidates selected for cochlear implant before surgery. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: ENT Departments of the Combined Military Hospital and Pakistan Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan from Nov 2022 to May 2023. Methodology: Patients having bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which ranged in severity from mild to severe, were referred from the ENT departments of the Combined Military Hospital and Pakistan Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi. Their Cochlear status was evaluated using HRCT and MRI of the temporal bone before giving the cochlear implant. The anatomical abnormalities of each temporal bone were listed and noted for analysis. Results: Of the 100 patients, 48% were male, and 52% were female. The most common disorders were abnormalities of the cochlea (45/100) and semicircular canal (20/100). The most frequent cochlear abnormality (10/100) was Mondini's deformity. In 12 cases, MRI was more effective than HRCT at identifying hypoplastic or aplastic vestibulocochlear nerves. Conclusion: For the diagnosis of membranous labyrinth and nerve abnormalities, MRI of the temporal bone was superior to HRCT. However, neither HRCT nor MRI temporal bone is the only imaging modality of choice for cochlear implant assessment; rather they perform best in combination