Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification

Awash Solomon Gebremariam; MusieNegasi Gebreslase; Birhanu Kassie Reta; Haftom Guesh Girmay; Kibrom Tsegay Hailu; Million Abraha Zeray

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification

Awash Solomon Gebremariam

, MusieNegasi Gebreslase^*

, Birhanu Kassie Reta

, Haftom Guesh Girmay

, Kibrom Tsegay Hailu

, Million Abraha Zeray

Published in International Journal of Medical Imaging (Volume 13, Issue 3)

Received: 8 August 2025 Accepted: 13 October 2025 Published: 3 December 2025

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Abstract

Background: Incidental findings of mastoid opacification are increasing as cross-sectional imaging is used more often. Mastoid opacification observed on imaging for unrelated clinical purposes is known as incidental mastoid opacification (IMO). Consultations with otolaryngologists are frequently the result of these findings. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the radiological patterns and frequency of IMO on CT imaging. Methodology: Patients who had CT imaging for non-otologic indications between August 2021 and August 2022 were reviewed in a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out at TikurAnbessa Specialized Hospital. Findings: 123 (8.4%) of the 1,466 patients experienced incidental mastoid opacification. Of these, 54 (43.9%) had bilateral involvement and 69 (56.1%) had unilateral involvement. Four (3.3%) had a combination of partial and complete opacification, 22 (17.9%) had complete opacification, and 97 (78.9%) had partial opacification. In 48 cases (39%), there was concurrent middle ear opacification. Despite these results, radiology reports only reported mastoid opacification in 31 cases (25%) and described it as either otomastoiditis or simple opacification. Only 7 patients (5.7%) were evaluated by an otolaryngologist, and no active mastoiditis was found. In conclusion, 8.4% of patients having CT scans for non-otologic reasons had incidental mastoid opacification. Complete opacification and concurrent middle ear involvement increased the likelihood of reporting. Few cases were referred for ENT evaluation, though, and most were clinically insignificant. These results emphasize how crucial it is to interpret data carefully in order to prevent needless referrals.

Published in	International Journal of Medical Imaging (Volume 13, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11
Page(s)	31-37
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

CT Scan, ENT, Incidental, Mastoid Opacification

References

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APA Style

Gebremariam, A. S., Gebreslase, M., Reta, B. K., Girmay, H. G., Hailu, K. T., et al. (2025). Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. International Journal of Medical Imaging, 13(3), 31-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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ACS Style

Gebremariam, A. S.; Gebreslase, M.; Reta, B. K.; Girmay, H. G.; Hailu, K. T., et al. Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. Int. J. Med. Imaging 2025, 13(3), 31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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AMA Style

Gebremariam AS, Gebreslase M, Reta BK, Girmay HG, Hailu KT, et al. Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. Int J Med Imaging. 2025;13(3):31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11,
  author = {Awash Solomon Gebremariam and MusieNegasi Gebreslase and Birhanu Kassie Reta and Haftom Guesh Girmay and Kibrom Tsegay Hailu and Million Abraha Zeray},
  title = {Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification
},
  journal = {International Journal of Medical Imaging},
  volume = {13},
  number = {3},
  pages = {31-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  abstract = {Background: Incidental findings of mastoid opacification are increasing as cross-sectional imaging is used more often. Mastoid opacification observed on imaging for unrelated clinical purposes is known as incidental mastoid opacification (IMO). Consultations with otolaryngologists are frequently the result of these findings. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the radiological patterns and frequency of IMO on CT imaging. Methodology: Patients who had CT imaging for non-otologic indications between August 2021 and August 2022 were reviewed in a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out at TikurAnbessa Specialized Hospital. Findings: 123 (8.4%) of the 1,466 patients experienced incidental mastoid opacification. Of these, 54 (43.9%) had bilateral involvement and 69 (56.1%) had unilateral involvement. Four (3.3%) had a combination of partial and complete opacification, 22 (17.9%) had complete opacification, and 97 (78.9%) had partial opacification. In 48 cases (39%), there was concurrent middle ear opacification. Despite these results, radiology reports only reported mastoid opacification in 31 cases (25%) and described it as either otomastoiditis or simple opacification. Only 7 patients (5.7%) were evaluated by an otolaryngologist, and no active mastoiditis was found. In conclusion, 8.4% of patients having CT scans for non-otologic reasons had incidental mastoid opacification. Complete opacification and concurrent middle ear involvement increased the likelihood of reporting. Few cases were referred for ENT evaluation, though, and most were clinically insignificant. These results emphasize how crucial it is to interpret data carefully in order to prevent needless referrals.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification

AU - Awash Solomon Gebremariam
AU - MusieNegasi Gebreslase
AU - Birhanu Kassie Reta
AU - Haftom Guesh Girmay
AU - Kibrom Tsegay Hailu
AU - Million Abraha Zeray
Y1 - 2025/12/03
PY - 2025
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11
DO - 10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11
T2 - International Journal of Medical Imaging
JF - International Journal of Medical Imaging
JO - International Journal of Medical Imaging
SP - 31
EP - 37
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2330-832X
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11
AB - Background: Incidental findings of mastoid opacification are increasing as cross-sectional imaging is used more often. Mastoid opacification observed on imaging for unrelated clinical purposes is known as incidental mastoid opacification (IMO). Consultations with otolaryngologists are frequently the result of these findings. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the radiological patterns and frequency of IMO on CT imaging. Methodology: Patients who had CT imaging for non-otologic indications between August 2021 and August 2022 were reviewed in a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out at TikurAnbessa Specialized Hospital. Findings: 123 (8.4%) of the 1,466 patients experienced incidental mastoid opacification. Of these, 54 (43.9%) had bilateral involvement and 69 (56.1%) had unilateral involvement. Four (3.3%) had a combination of partial and complete opacification, 22 (17.9%) had complete opacification, and 97 (78.9%) had partial opacification. In 48 cases (39%), there was concurrent middle ear opacification. Despite these results, radiology reports only reported mastoid opacification in 31 cases (25%) and described it as either otomastoiditis or simple opacification. Only 7 patients (5.7%) were evaluated by an otolaryngologist, and no active mastoiditis was found. In conclusion, 8.4% of patients having CT scans for non-otologic reasons had incidental mastoid opacification. Complete opacification and concurrent middle ear involvement increased the likelihood of reporting. Few cases were referred for ENT evaluation, though, and most were clinically insignificant. These results emphasize how crucial it is to interpret data carefully in order to prevent needless referrals.

VL - 13
IS - 3
ER -

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Author Information

Awash Solomon Gebremariam

Department of Radiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0006-0248-7766
MusieNegasi Gebreslase

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-3808-7750
Birhanu Kassie Reta

Department of Pathology, Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0001-1897-9072
Haftom Guesh Girmay

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4988-2282
Kibrom Tsegay Hailu

Department of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0000-1287-1362
Million Abraha Zeray

Department of Surgery, Aksum University, Aksum, Ethiopia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0004-3314-2088

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Gebremariam, A. S., Gebreslase, M., Reta, B. K., Girmay, H. G., Hailu, K. T., et al. (2025). Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. International Journal of Medical Imaging, 13(3), 31-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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ACS Style

Gebremariam, A. S.; Gebreslase, M.; Reta, B. K.; Girmay, H. G.; Hailu, K. T., et al. Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. Int. J. Med. Imaging 2025, 13(3), 31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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AMA Style

Gebremariam AS, Gebreslase M, Reta BK, Girmay HG, Hailu KT, et al. Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification. Int J Med Imaging. 2025;13(3):31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11,
  author = {Awash Solomon Gebremariam and MusieNegasi Gebreslase and Birhanu Kassie Reta and Haftom Guesh Girmay and Kibrom Tsegay Hailu and Million Abraha Zeray},
  title = {Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification
},
  journal = {International Journal of Medical Imaging},
  volume = {13},
  number = {3},
  pages = {31-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmi.20251303.11},
  abstract = {Background: Incidental findings of mastoid opacification are increasing as cross-sectional imaging is used more often. Mastoid opacification observed on imaging for unrelated clinical purposes is known as incidental mastoid opacification (IMO). Consultations with otolaryngologists are frequently the result of these findings. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the radiological patterns and frequency of IMO on CT imaging. Methodology: Patients who had CT imaging for non-otologic indications between August 2021 and August 2022 were reviewed in a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out at TikurAnbessa Specialized Hospital. Findings: 123 (8.4%) of the 1,466 patients experienced incidental mastoid opacification. Of these, 54 (43.9%) had bilateral involvement and 69 (56.1%) had unilateral involvement. Four (3.3%) had a combination of partial and complete opacification, 22 (17.9%) had complete opacification, and 97 (78.9%) had partial opacification. In 48 cases (39%), there was concurrent middle ear opacification. Despite these results, radiology reports only reported mastoid opacification in 31 cases (25%) and described it as either otomastoiditis or simple opacification. Only 7 patients (5.7%) were evaluated by an otolaryngologist, and no active mastoiditis was found. In conclusion, 8.4% of patients having CT scans for non-otologic reasons had incidental mastoid opacification. Complete opacification and concurrent middle ear involvement increased the likelihood of reporting. Few cases were referred for ENT evaluation, though, and most were clinically insignificant. These results emphasize how crucial it is to interpret data carefully in order to prevent needless referrals.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Frequency and Ct Scan Pattern of Incidental Mastoid Air Cell Opacification

VL - 13
IS - 3
ER -

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