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Evaluation of static bone cavities with CT and MRI

¹ Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan; ² Geriatric Stomatology, Department of Oral Health Science, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan; ³ Department of Oral Surgery, Sapporo JR Hospital, Japan; ⁴ Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Oral Patho-biological Science, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Japan

*Correspondence to: Kazuyuki Minowa, Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8586 Japan; E-mail: kminowa{at}den.hokudai.ac.jp

Received 26 June 2002; revised 26 September 2002; accepted 29 October 2002

Objectives: To determine by CT and MRI the contents of static bone cavities (SBCs), which are thought to be formed by aberration of the submandibular gland.

Methods: Non-contrast-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT was performed on 12 subjects (10 male and 2 female; age 18–64 years; mean age 57 years) in whom SBCs had been discovered incidentally on panoramic radiographs during routine dental treatment. MRI was also performed on 3 of the 12 subjects.

Results: No submandibular gland tissue was seen in the SBCs in any of the cases. However, fatty tissue of low attenuation was found in the SBCs in all cases on CT images. Blood vessels were seen in the SBCs in 10 cases, and enhanced soft tissue in contact with the bone cavity wall was seen in the SBCs in 2 cases. Blood vessels in the SBCs were observed on MR images in all three cases. Dilatation of the cavity blood vessels was seen in all 10 cases. Slight tortuosity of the blood vessels was seen in 4 of the 10 cases.

Conclusions: Examination of contrast-enhanced CT images and MR images revealed that the contents of SBCs were not aberrations of the submandibular gland, as has generally been thought, but fatty tissue, blood vessels and soft tissue.

Keywords: static bone cavity; jaw, mandible; tomography, X-ray computed; magnetic resonance imaging

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