ABSTRACT

This chapter outlines the more common indications for head and neck imaging. Fractures of the temporal bone are usually discovered on computed tomography (CT) performed for assessment of head injury. Less commonly, temporal bone fractures may present with hearing loss or cerebral spinal fluid leak following recovery from acute head injury. One of the most common investigations in head and neck imaging is magnetic resonance imaging to rule out acoustic neuroma. Clinical presentation of head and neck cancer may include sore throat, hoarse voice or stridor. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck spreads by local invasion through the mucosal surface to deep structures. SCC of the head and neck is assessed initially with direct clinical examination. CT is the traditional imaging investigation of choice for further staging of head and neck cancer. SCC of the head and neck appears on CT as a high attenuation mass causing asymmetry and anatomical distortion of the airway.