Highlights
- •The middle ear ossicles have varying normal morphology.
- •The pneumatized incus and malleus are rare normal anatomic variants and should not be confused with pathological erosions.
- •Important to mention a pneumatized ossicle in the radiology report due to potential surgical implications.
Abstract
It is important to be familiar with normal anatomic variants in order to not to mistake
them for pathology. It is well known that the middle ear ossicles have varying normal
morphology on gross anatomy, but can also be malformed in certain congenital syndromes
or eroded in the setting of chronic ear infection or cholesteatoma. This case series
describes the pneumatized ossicle on imaging, a rare normal anatomic variant.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 27, 2020
Accepted:
July 27,
2020
Received in revised form:
June 29,
2020
Received:
May 6,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.