JRM
Journal of Radiology in Medicine

Journal of Radiology in Medicine is an international journal that published original research and articles in all areas of radiology. Its publishes original research articles, review articles, case reports, editorial commentaries, letters to the editor, educational articles, and conference/meeting announcements.

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Original Article
Reclassification of inner ear malformations according to the updated Sennaroğlu classification: which categories change?
Abstract
Aims: To determine how many ears change category, and which categories are affected, when a cochlear implant candidate cohort classified in 2009 is reassessed according to the up-to-date Sennaroglu classification.
Methods: Preoperative temporal bone computed tomography studies of 100 consecutive cochlear implant candidates (200 ears) examined between 2006 and 2008 were re-evaluated, and the measurements repeated, by the radiologist who had made the original assessment, with the earlier category concealed. Ears were re-categorized according to Sennaroglu's current 2017 classification.
Results: A congenital cochlear malformation was present in 38 ears (19.0%) of 20 patients. Of the 200 ears, 176 (88.0%) kept a category with a direct equivalent in the 2017 scheme, 12 were subtyped within cochlear hypoplasia and 2 remained unclassifiable because of labyrinthine ossification; no ear was reassigned to a different entity. Ten ears with an isolated abnormality of the vestibule or the semicircular canals could not be categorized under the 2017 scheme. A subdivision of cochlear hypoplasia applied locally in 2009 mapped onto the current subtypes without crossover. At a threshold of 3.0 mm, all 8 ears with a narrow internal auditory canal in the coronal plane had a malformed cochlea; the axial plane performed less consistently at every threshold tested.
Conclusion: Following reclassification based on current criteria, redistribution was limited to cochlear hypoplasia, but ten ears were left without a category. Because the boundaries between some cochlear malformations are defined descriptively rather than numerically, their applicability may be limited.

Keywords : Cochlea, temporal bone, cochlear implantation, computed tomography, sensorineural hearing loss

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Article available in :
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2026
Page : 59-65
https://doi.org/10.51271/JRM-0052
Article Information
Received : 12 Ağu 2026
Accepted : 15 Eyl 2026
Published : 19 Eyl 2026
Corresponding Author :

Melih Akşamoğlu: Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Akşamoğlu M, Kervancıoğlu AS. Reclassification of inner ear malformations according to the updated Sennaroğlu classification: which categories change? J Radiol Med. 2026;3(3):59-65. doi:10.51271/JRM-0052

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