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Diagnostic usefulness of panoramic imaging of the pterygopalatine fossa: case of a schwannoma causing pterygopalatine fossa expansion

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Abstract

The pterygopalatine fossa is a small area between the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus and the anterior surface of the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone. The pterygopalatine fossa can be seen clearly on panoramic imaging. We present the case of a 57-year-old man who exhibited right pterygopalatine fossa expansion on panoramic imaging. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and panoramic imaging all showed a tumor at the right pterygopalatine fossa in this patient. CT indicated that the tumor replaced right retromaxillary fat and displaced the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus. On MRI, the tumor showed intermediate signal intensity at the paranasal area on T1-weighted images, and variable intermediate and high signal intensities on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images. It was eventually diagnosed as a schwannoma. Thus, panoramic imaging can be used for disease screening at the posterior border of the maxilla. Our conclusion is based on this report of a patient with a schwannoma at the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus, which panoramic imaging revealed to have pterygopalatine fossa expansion.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Nancy Schatken, BS, MT(ASCP), from Edanz Group (http://www.edanzediting.com/ac), for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Funding

This study received funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18K17207).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Radiology, Osaka Dental University (ODU), 1-5-17 Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan

    Shinya Kotaki, Hironori Akiyama & Kimishige Shimizutani

  2. Health Promotion Division, Public Health Bureau, Osaka City Government, 1-3-20 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0005, Japan

    Shoko Gamoh

  3. First Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Osaka Dental University (ODU), 1-5-17 Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan

    Hiroaki Yoshida

  4. Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka Dental University (ODU), 1-5-17 Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan

    Chihoko Ikeda & Kazuya Tominaga

  5. Department of Oral Health Sciences, Osaka Dental University (ODU), 1-4-4 Makino Honmachi, Hirakata, Osaka, 573-1144, Japan

    Masahiro Wato

  6. Department of Radiology, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1 Hirakata Shinmachi, Hirakata, 573-1010, Japan

    Yutaka Ueno

Authors
  1. Shinya Kotaki
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  2. Shoko Gamoh
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  3. Hiroaki Yoshida
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  4. Chihoko Ikeda
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  5. Kazuya Tominaga
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  6. Masahiro Wato
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  7. Yutaka Ueno
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  8. Hironori Akiyama
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  9. Kimishige Shimizutani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shinya Kotaki.

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Conflict of interest

Shinya Kotaki, Shoko Gamoh, Hiroaki Yoshida, Chihoko Ikeda, Kazuya Tominaga, Masahiro Wato, Yutaka Ueno, Hironori Akiyama, and Kimishige Shimizutani declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and later versions.

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Informed consent was obtained from the patient for being included in the study.

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Kotaki, S., Gamoh, S., Yoshida, H. et al. Diagnostic usefulness of panoramic imaging of the pterygopalatine fossa: case of a schwannoma causing pterygopalatine fossa expansion. Oral Radiol 35, 321–325 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-018-0352-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-018-0352-x

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