title: Perineural spread of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: radiological and CT demonstration.
abstract: Perineural spread is well known to be the most insidious form of tumour spread of a number of head and neck malignancies. However, perineural extension of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NC) is a poorly recognized event. Four cases of perineural metastases from NC have been detected with pluridirectional tomography and CT. In 3 cases involvement of the Vidian nerve (nervus canalis pterygoidei) and pterygoid canal was observed. In a fourth patient, invasion of one pterygopalatine fossa and perineural spread along ipsilateral maxillary nerve with enlargement and erosion of the foramen rotundum was demonstrated. Radiological diagnosis of clinically unsuspected perineural tumour spread is important because it markedly influences treatment planning and prognosis of NC.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiologic Sciences, University of Messina.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pandolfo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blandino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faranda
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed