Ct and Mr Imaging of Primary Tumors of the Masticator Space

Abstract

A retrospective study of CT and MR examinations in 14 patients with benign and malignant tumors originating in the masticator space is presented. At presentation, 12 patients revealed tumor extension to adjacent regions and spaces. Perineural tumor spread along trigeminal nerve branches to the cavernous sinus and orbits was combined with facial pain, and/or numbness, ophthalmoplegia, and exophthalmus. Detailed analysis of tumor growth and spread, enhancement and signal features at CT and MR imaging indicated that tumor histology was, with a few exceptions, nonspecific. More extensive growth and bone destruction was noted only among malig nant tumors. MR imaging was found superior to CT in delineating tumor extension due to better soft tissue contrast resolution and multiplanar imaging. Posttreatment examinations were available in 11 patients and showed long-standing regional edema of the adja cent temporal lobe and masticator muscles in 4 out of 5 patients without clinical evidence of tumor. In 6 patients, CT and MR features were found almost unchanged with only small size differ ences after various forms of treatment.

Linfoma no Hodgkin primario extranodal de musculatura masticatoria. A propósito de un caso

“…Adyacente y anterior al espacio masticador, se encuentra el espacio bucal; el espacio parotídeo en la parte posterior y el espacio parafaríngeo hacia medial. Los tumores que se originan en el espacio masticador son raros, mientras que las metástasis o la afectación por tumores adyacentes son más comunes 10 . En una revisión realizada por Liapi y cols.…”