Advanced Imaging Modalities: A Boon in Differentiating Tumors of the Salivary Glands Mittal Sachin1, Vinayak Vidhi, Grover Sonal2, Kumar Mukesh3 1Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College & Research Centre, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 2Assistant Professor, Dept. of Oral Pathology & Microbiology, Christian Dental College, CMC, Ludhiana, Punjab 3Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College & Research Centre, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Online published on 26 February, 2013. Abstract Of all the tissues in the human body, perhaps the salivary glands have the most histologically heterogeneous group of tumors and the greatest diversity of morphologic features among their cells and tissue. Histopathology is never the investigation of choice to diagnose such cases, a thorough case history, clinical examination and recent imaging modalities like Ultrasonography, Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance imaging can significantly provide diagnosis without removal of the tissue. This article reviews the role of imaging in the management of tumors of the salivary glands, discussing tumor localization, extent, and, where possible, characterization. The relative benefits of the different modalities and the typical features of benign and malignant lesions are discussed for each modality. Characteristic appearances of specific tumors are highlighted. Top Keywords Pleomorphic Adenoma, Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma, Hemangioma, Acinic Cell Carcinoma. Top |