Imaging the temporal bone

• CT is the initial imaging of choice in the investigation of middle ear disease. • MRI is used in evaluating the inner ear in patients presenting with sensorineural deafness, tinnitus and vertigo. It has an increasingly important role in the detection of post-operative cholesteatoma recurrence. • Nuclear medicine and cone beam CT have limited roles. Interpretation of temporal bone imaging is challenging for most general radiologists, as the temporal bone is an anatomically highly complex region. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent advances in imaging of the temporal bone and to discuss problematic and currently topical pathology.