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Objectives: This study investigated the utility of temporal subtraction computed tomography (TSCT) obtained with temporal bone high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for the preoperative prediction of mastoid extension of middle ear cholesteatomas.Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients with surgically proven middle ear cholesteatomas were retrospectively evaluated. The presence of black color in the mastoid region on TSCT suggested progressive changes caused by bone erosion. Enlarged width of the anterior part of mastoid on HRCT was interpreted as suggestive of mastoid extension. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the widths and black color on TSCT for cases with and without mastoid extension. The diagnostic accuracy of TSCT and HRCT for detecting mastoid extension and interobserver agreement during the evaluation of black color on TSCT were calculated.Results: There were 15 cases of surgically proven mastoid extension and 13 cases without mastoid extension. Patients with black color on TSCT were significantly more likely to have a mastoid extension (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of TSCT were 0.93 and 1.00, respectively. Patients in whom the width of the anterior part of the mastoid was enlarged were significantly more likely to have a mastoid extension (p = 0.007). The sensitivity and specificity of HRCT to detect the width of the anterior part of the mastoid were 0.80 and 0.77, respectively. Interobserver agreement during the evaluation of TSCT findings was good (k = 0.71).Conclusions: This novel TSCT technique and preoperative evaluations are useful for assessing mastoid extension of middle ear cholesteatomas and making treatment decisions.Key Points: •TSCT shows a clear black color in the mastoid region when the middle ear cholesteatoma is accompanied by mastoid extension. •TSCT obtained with preoperative serial HRCT of the temporal bone is useful for assessing mastoid extension of middle ear cholesteatomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Preoperative imaging assessment influences the decision to perform mastoidectomy for the mastoid extension of middle ear cholesteatoma. This study compared the performance of temporal subtraction CT (TSCT) and non-echoplanar diffusion-weighted imaging (non-EP DWI) in evaluating such mastoid extensions.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 239 consecutive patients with surgically proven middle ear cholesteatoma between April 2016 and April 2021. The diagnostic performance of TSCT, wherein the presence of black color indicated progressive bone erosion, and non-EP DWI, wherein high signal intensity in the mastoid region suggested mastoid extension, was compared using Fisher's exact test.Results: In 34 patients with evaluable TSCT images, black color was significantly more common in patients with mastoid extension than in those without; the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of TSCT were 1.00, 0.95, 0.94, 1.00, and 0.97, respectively. In 90 patients with evaluable non-EP DWI, high signal intensity was significantly more common in patients with mastoid extension than in those without; the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of non-EP DWI were 0.88, 0.85, 0.91, 0.81, and 0.87, respectively. In 16 patients with both evaluable TSCT and non-EP DWI, the diagnostic performance of the TSCT was slightly superior to that of the non-EP DWI for predicting mastoid extension, although the difference was not significant.Conclusions: TSCT images generated using consecutively acquired preoperative high-resolution CT images are useful for predicting mastoid extension of middle ear cholesteatoma, and the diagnostic performance of TSCT is non-inferior to that of non-EP DWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]