Detection of superior semicircular canal dehiscence by virtual endoscopy: A pilot study

Objective: To examine the threshold of virtual endoscopy in the confirmation of superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD). Study Design: Retrospective case series. Subjects: Three definite SSCD subjects, two possible SSCD subjects, and five control subjects. Methods: High-resolution temporal bone computed tomography and virtual endoscopy were performed in all subjects. Main outcome measures were to evaluate both intrajudge and interjudge reliability and to compare the closed threshold of diseased side with the contralateral side, both ears of patients with those of the control group. Results: The interjudge reliability between two observers was 0.934 and 0.926 (P < 0.001). The intrajudge reliability for two reviews were 0.916 and 0.902 (P < 0.001). The affected ear thresholds significantly differed from those of both unaffected ears and normal controls (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Thresholds of unaffected ears and normal controls did not differ (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Virtual endoscopy with critical evaluation of the consistent closed threshold provides an additional role in SSCD diagnosis.