■ OBJECTIVE: Pseudocolor transformation is a technique to artificially assign colors to a gray scale. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficiency of pseudocolor transformation technique for visualization of stapes and incudostapedial joint in temporal bone CT and to demonstrate the use of pseudocolor transformation in various pathology of ear.

■ METHODS: Twenty CT studies of healthy ears were reviewed. CT images were transformed to pseudocolor with Image- Pro Plus 4.0. software and compared with plain images using rating scale. The determination of visualization sensitivity was done through statistical analysis of Paired t-test. Additionally various pseudocolor-transformed images of ear pathology were compared with plain images.

■ RESULTS: Stapes and incudostapedial joint were more easily identified at pseudocolor-transformed images compared with plain images (p<0.05). Real time pseudocolor transformation was possible for detection of ear pathology.

■ CONCLUSION: These data suggest that pseudocolor transformation has efficiency for increasing the visuality of stapes and incudostapedial joint in CT images. Pseudocolor display could be a suitable adjunct for reading various temporal bone images.