[The role of MRI in the preoperative examination and postoperative follow up of the patients presenting with a combination of chronic otitis media and cholesteatoma].

The objective of the present work was to estimate the possibilities of application of different MRI modalities for the diagnostics of cholesteatoma and to develop the criteria for the verification of the proposed protocols. The study was carried out in the standard T1 and T2 regimes as well as in the non-EPI DWI regime. The patients available for the examination presented with both primary cholesteatoma and with residual and recurrent cholesteatoma. The principal radiodiagnostic algorithm for cholesteatoma included the use of a signal of low-intensity in the T1 regime and a high-intensity signal in the T2 and non-EPI DWI regimes. Three clinical observations are reported in this paper. All the patients were examined by MRI in the T1, T2, and non-EPI DWI modalities. The presence of cholesteatoma was confirmed in 2 patients; this finding was verified during surgery. In one case, the use of the proposed method allowed cholesteatoma to be excluded.