Biomedical subjects
Anne Pitkaranta
Publications and source records attributed to Anne Pitkaranta.
Localized pericochlear hypoattenuating foci at temporal-bone thin-section CT in pediatric patients: nonpathologic differential diagnostic entity?
PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of localized hypoattenuating areas in the cochlear otic capsule at temporal-bone thin-section computed tomography (CT) in pediatric patients and correlate the findings with clinical information. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Temporal-bone thin-section CT images obtained in 73 patients aged 0-9 years (20 Austrian, 53 Finnish; 36 female and 37 male patients) were evaluated for the presence of localized hypoattenuating foci in the region of the fissula ante fenestram of the otic capsule. Clinical information collected for all patients was also evaluated. The data were analyzed with a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Hypoattenuating areas in the region of the fissula ante fenestram were observed in 23 of 73 patients (32%). Hypoattenuating foci were substantially more prevalent in patients younger than 3 years than in those 3 years or older (odds ratio, 0.14; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.52; P =.001). The prevalence did not differ between sexes or according to clinical diagnosis. Only three of the 23 patients with hypoattenuating foci had clinical findings suggestive of otosclerosis, and none had osteogenesis imperfecta. After adjustment for age and sex, the finding was more prevalent among the Finnish patients (odds ratio, 5.4; 95% CI: 1.19, 24.52; P =.02) than among the Austrian patients. CONCLUSION: Hypoattenuating areas in the region of the fissula ante fenestram in the otic capsule at thin-section CT are prevalent among children younger than 3 years in the absence of clinical evidence of otosclerosis or osteogenesis imperfecta and appear in children up to 9 years old.
Progressive stapedial fixation in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is a genetic fetal overgrowth disturbance characterized by organomegaly, abdominal wall defects, postnatal hypoglycemia, and increased frequency of embryonic and postnatal tumors. Hearing loss in connection with this syndrome is rare. We describe a patient with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome having a progressive conductive hearing loss caused by a stapedial footplate fixation occurring during preschool age. We studied progression of the hearing impairment audiometrically from the patient's fourth year of life until age 19. In the right ear, it progressed from a mean pure-tone hearing level of 10 dB to 70 dB, with a perceptive component of 30 dB. The hearing level of the left ear remained at 25 dB. An exploratory tympanotomy disclosed stapedial fixation, and a partial stapedectomy improved the hearing level in the right ear to 30 to 35 dB. In patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a progressive conductive hearing loss, caused by stapedial footplate fixation, may develop after birth. Clinically, the fixation is identical to otosclerosis, but the typical family history of otosclerosis is lacking.