The temporal bone: imaging considerations.

CT and MRI have revolutionized the evaluation of the temporal bone and its diseases. Conventional polytomography, once the mainstay of clinical imaging, has now been completely replaced by CT for evaluation of the middle ear, ossicular chain, and otic capsule and by MRI for the study of the internal auditory canal, cerebellopontine angle, and brainstem. This article is an overview of these current methods and depicts normal and pathologic anatomy. The technical aspects and clinical indications for both modalities are discussed.