Does Ostmann's fat pad size correlate with development of chronic otitis media in children?

Objective: To compare Ostmann's fat pad (OFP) size between healthy ears and ears with chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma (COMwC) in children, to assess its role in the disease.

Methods: MRI scans of 29 children with unilateral COMwC with conductive hearing loss were used to measure OFP, represented by the maximal diameter of the high intensity area medial to the tensor veli palatini muscle (TVP): M1. A reference diameter was defined from the medial border of OFP reaching the medial border of the medial pterygoid muscle: M2.