Intensely enhanced Fallopian canal as a surrogate marker for vasculitis
in the ear: Our experience in four patients
Abstract
1. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and eosinophilic
granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) frequently affect the ear,
resulting in the development of external otitis, otitis media,
sensorineural hearing loss, and facial paresis. 2. The lack of specific
methods for detecting vasculitis of the ear occasionally hinders the
early diagnosis of otologic involvement of GPA and EGPA. 3.
Contrast-enhanced, 3D T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with
gradient-echo sequences (CE-3D-GRE) demonstrate intense enhancement in
the tympanic and mastoid segments of the Fallopian canal in spite of the
absence of facial paresis. 4. Maximum intensity projection images
clearly display an enhanced Fallopian canal, which was associated with
adjacent inflammatory lesions. 5. Intense enhancement of the Fallopian
canal on CE-3D-GRE can be used as a surrogate marker of otologic
involvement of GPA and EGPA, which may enable early diagnosis,
monitoring, and therapy optimisation in a less invasive manner.