Postoperative complications in otospongiosis: usefulness of MR imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a rare complication of stapes surgery that may arise for many reasons. Usually, the pathogenesis of SNHL can be established by clinical and CT examinations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of MR imaging when CT findings are normal or not contributive. METHODS Eleven patients with SNHL (in some instances, associated with vertigo) after stapedectomy, in whom CT showed no well-defined cause, were examined by MR imaging. RESULTS MR studies established the additional findings of reparative intravestibular granuloma (n = 2), intralabyrinthine hemorrhage (n = 1), and bacterial labyrinthitis (n = 1). In five cases, MR findings were similar to CT findings. In two cases, CT and MR results were normal. Revision surgery was performed in five patients and confirmed the MR findings in each case. CONCLUSION If CT is not contributive as to the origin of SNHL and vertigo occurring after stapes surgery, then MR imaging may be helpful in these patients.