Fissula ante fenestram

Case contributed by Azza Elgendy
Diagnosis not applicable

Patient Data

Age: middle age
Annotated image

HRCT petrous bone, with axial plane parallel to the lateral semicircular canal. The FAF is just anterior to the stapedial footplate.

The fissula ante fenestram (FAF) lies anterior to the oval window, and parallel to the apical turn of the cochlea.

Case Discussion

CT petrous temporal bone with an axial plane parallel to the lateral semicircular canal. The important key structures at this level include the three ossicles (from anterior to posterior: malleus manubrium, incus long process and stapes crura), vestibule, footplate of the stapes in the oval window, cochlea (apical turn) and vestibular aqueduct.  The illustration shows the fissula ante fenestram, the bony labyrinth and the space for the membranous labyrinth. The fissula ante fenestram located at the lateral wall of the vestibule (anterior to the oval window) and it stands parallel to the adjacent cochlear turn. Any curvilinear lucency at the fissula ante fenestram, should be considered as possible "fenestral otosclerosis" in adult, and "cochlear cleft" should be excluded in the pediatric age group.

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