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Malignant Lesions of the Masticator Space

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Head and Neck Cancer Imaging

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

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Abstract

The masticator space (MS) is a deep facial space which contains the mandibular ramus, muscles of mastication and the mandibular branch (V3) of the trigeminal nerve. Malignant tumours of the MS are commonly of mesenchymal origin, namely osteosarcomas, chondrosarcomas and rhabdomyosarcomas. Besides these sarcomas, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) may also arise in the MS. Secondary malignancies of the MS include invasion from surrounding space tumours and occasionally metastases from distant primary sites. This chapter describes the clinico-radiological features of MS malignancies. The role of cross-sectional imaging with CT and MRI is highlighted along with a brief mention of certain advanced imaging techniques such as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the characterisation of MS lesions. Finally, post-treatment imaging and benign mimics of malignant MS masses is briefly reviewed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroradiology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore

    Bela Purohit

  2. University Hospitals, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Robert Hermans

Authors
  1. Bela Purohit
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  2. Robert Hermans
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Correspondence to Bela Purohit .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, KU Leuven - University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Robert Hermans

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Purohit, B., Hermans, R. (2020). Malignant Lesions of the Masticator Space. In: Hermans, R. (eds) Head and Neck Cancer Imaging. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2020_229

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2020_229

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-64734-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-64735-3

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