The relation between the position of meddle ear cavity and surrounding cell walls in suppressed pneumatization

本实验的目的是探讨在胆脂瘤患者手术中常见的颞骨解剖变异，如硬脑膜下中窝、乙状窦前位或小乳突，是否由儿童早期的炎症引起。15头猪出生后7天内左侧鼓室内注入石蜡液1.5ml，造成中耳炎症和输卵管功能障碍。6个月后，左侧乳突的长度和面积明显小于右侧。所有病例均可见明显的细胞减少和皮质骨增厚，有力地支持了炎症抑制气化过程和乳突生长的气化环境学说。

The intention of this experiment was to investigate whether anatomical variation of the temporal bone such as low middle fossa dura, anterior position of the sigmoid sinus or small mastoid process, which are often seen at surgery in cholesteatoma patients, are caused by inflammation in early childhood. In 15 pigs, 1.5ml paraffine liquid were instilled into the left tympanic cavity within 7 days after birth in order to produce inflammation of the middle ear and tubal dysfunction. After six months, the length and area of the mastoid process were significantly smaller on the left instilled side than on the right normal side. In all cases there was remarkable hypocellularity and increased thickness of the cortical bone strongly supporting the environmental theory of the pneumatization that inflammation suppresses the pneumatization process and growth of the mastoid process.