title: Core biopsy as a simple and effective diagnostic tool in head and neck focal myositis.
abstract: Most unilateral head and neck masses are benign, although malignancy is a possibility in some cases. However, there are other rare causes of unilateral neck masses, such as focal myositis, which is a rare, benign condition belonging to the family of inflammatory pseudotumors of the skeletal muscles, with rare presentations in the head and neck region. Focal myositis presents as a rapidly enlarging neck mass that can be misdiagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy and/or radiologic imaging as either an infective or a neoplastic process. To date, there are only 5 reported cases of adult focal myositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the medical literature. In this article, the authors present 2 cases involving patients with focal myositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle that were successfully diagnosed with core-needle biopsy and managed conservatively. The pros and cons of fine-needle aspiration biopsy and core-needle biopsy are discussed. Based on the authors' results, fine-needle aspiration biopsy universally fails to provide the diagnosis of focal myositis. In contrast, core-needle biopsy successfully diagnosed focal myositis in both of our patients. Both of them had complete resolution with conservative management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Modbury Hospital, 41-69 Smart Rd., Modbury, South Australia 5092, Australia. cy-tan@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Chun Yee
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Chi-Kee Leslie
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D062005:Biopsy, Large-Core Needle; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009220:Myositis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents