Using Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Assess the Anatomy of the Eustachian Tube in Children with and without Otitis Media.

ABSTRACT: Otitis media (OM) is among the most common of childhood illnesses. It has long been hypothesized that children under age two are predisposed to OM due to differences in the anatomy of the Eustachian tube (ET), including the angle of the ET. OM in later childhood is less common but does occur, begging the question, are there shape differences in the ET that persist underlying later occurrences of OM? To answer this question, a novel method, which applied geometric and morphometric shape analysis to landmarks obtained from MRI data, was used. MRI scans were performed on 16 children (5 control, 3 cOME, and 8 rAOM) between 2011 and 2015. Sixteen landmarks representing the shape of the ET, cranial base, and palate were analyzed. The results of a Procrustes ANOVA indicate that the shape of the E

SUBMITTER: Fricano EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10604907 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature