OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical application of multi-planar reformation (MPR) for the diagnosis of superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome.

METHODSA retrospective study was conducted on 9 patients who were diagnosed with SSCD syndrome in the Otology and Skull Base Surgery group of Fudan University. Three radiologists analyzed all the patients' 0.75 mm-collimated axial and coronal images and 0.75 mm-collimated MPR images, and they came up with the same results.

RESULTSThere were 18 superior semicircular canal in the 9 patients, of whom 9 were intact and 9 were defective. All the defective superior semicircular displayed a definite dehiscence in all the MPR images, which indicated the sensitivity was 100%; however, 7 of the 9 defective superior semicircular canal were diagnosed as dehiscence in axial images, while 8 of the 9 were diagnosed in coronal images, but the sensitivities were 77.8% and 88.9% respectively. The results of the other 9 with intact superior semicircular canal displayed in the MPR, axial, and coronal images were also different. In the MPR images, they all displayed definite intact roof over the superior semicircular canal. There were 2 dehiscence in all axial and coronal images, and the specificities were 77.8%.

CONCLUSIONThe MPR image is more useful in diagnosis of superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome than that of the routine axial and coronal images.