title: MRI prior to major tumor surgery in the head and neck.
abstract: MRI plays an important and specific role prior to tumor surgery in the head and neck region. It is especially interesting in providing a detailed description of the exact tumor extent close to the skull base and to investigate perineural and perivascular tumor spread. In selected cases this technique can give a presumed histopathological diagnosis for a mass that is clinically detected. This is especially true for some benign masses, such as hemangiomas, cysts and lipomas. The role of MRI with regard to a lymph node imaging survey in the neck is rather limited. MRI is moreover not routinely performed in neck regions where many motion artifacts can be expected, such as in the larynx.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lemmerling
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moerman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunnen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vermeersch
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed