BACKGROUND: High-resolution CT images are often unable to visualize the extent of possible cochlear obliteration after meningitis or after temporal bone fracture. The exact estimation of this extent, however, is crucial for cochlear implant surgery planning. Thus MR imaging of intralabyrinthine pathology is becoming an increasingly significant imaging modality. METHODS: The clinical relevance of the CISS (constructive interference in steady state) MR sequence is explained using 5 selected cases of different inner ear pathology. RESULTS: Two of the examined patients had unsuspicious inner ear signals, whereas in 3 cases MRI rendered relevant information about partial or total cochlear obliteration. CONCLUSIONS: These clinical examples illustrate how the ideal fluid and tissue contrast of CISS-MRI make this new technique suitable as a primary tool for evaluating inner ear obliteration before cochlear implant surgery.
