Normative Sudanese Cochlea Measurements Using High Resolution Computerized Tomography

Lubna Ahmed Hassan¹, Caroline Edward Ayad^1*, Hussein Ahmed Hassan², Elsafi Ahmed Abdalla¹  and Mohamed Elfadil Mohamed¹.

¹College of Medical Radiological Science, Sudan University Of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.

²College of Medical Radiological Science, Karray University Khartoum, Sudan.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: carolineayad@yahoo.com, carolineayad@sustech.edu; Phone: +249 0922044764

Accepted 23 June, 2014

Abstract

The study is to characterize the cochlear anatomy among Sudanese using high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging concerning the subjects ages and gender. A total of 400 Cochlear images were obtained from the scans of 200 subjects (137 Males and 63 Females), aged 1- 84 years. Cochlea width, height, Cochlea nerve canal width and nerve CT number, Basal turn width, transverse cranial dimension, were all been evaluated. The results showed that the mean left and right Cochlear width measured 5.56±0.58 mm, 5.61±0.40mm, height 3.56±0.36, 3.54±0.36mm, the basal turn width 1.87±0.19mm, 1.88, ±0.18mm, Cochlea nerve canal width 2.02±1.23mm, 1.93±0.20mm, Cochlea nerve CT number 279.41±159.02, 306.84±336.9 Hounsfield unit respectively with no significant differences noted in both sides or genders, while the age was found to have an impact on the transverse cranial dimension, right Cochlea nerve canal width  and right Cochlea nerve CT number significantly at p< 0.05. The study concluded that the Cochlea nerve canal width and CT number can be predicted for the Sudanese subjects whose ages were known. HRCT temporal bone imaging is the modality of choice in the investigation of cochlear normal anatomy, which guides the clinicians management of the hearing loss conditions if abnormalities are acknowledged.

Keywords: Cochlea anatomy, Basal turn, HRCT, aging, sex differences