This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lo Casto, A Articles by La Tona, G Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lo Casto, A Articles by La Tona, G

MRI findings in lingual venous malformations

¹ Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Legale, Sezione di Scienze Radiologiche, Università di Palermo, Italy; ² Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche, ARNAS Civico, Palermo, Italy

*Correspondence to: Prof. Antonio Lo Casto, Via Tevere, 7, 90144 Palermo, Italy; Email: antoniolocasto{at}hotmail.com

Received 1 July 2002; revised 19 July 2002; accepted 30 January 2003

Objectives: To describe the plain and enhanced MRI findings of lingual venous malformations and to discuss the importance of contrast medium in the differential diagnosis of high intensity lesions of the tongue on T₂ weighted images.

Methods: The clinical records and MR images of eight patients affected by a lingual venous malformation were retrospectively reviewed. Patients presented with a palpable submucosal bluish-red soft mass in the tongue. MRI examinations were performed on a 0.5 T superconducting unit. Plain and enhanced SE (spin echo) T₁ weighted and FSE (fast spin echo) T₂ weighted images were acquired in axial, sagittal and coronal planes. Axial SPGR (spoiled gradient recalled echo) T₁ weighted images were also obtained before and after intravenous (iv) injection of paramagnetic contrast medium.

Results: Five of eight venous malformations were located at the tip of the tongue. The other three involved the whole tongue and had an extralingual extent; two extended into the submandibular space and one into the glossoepiglottic valleculae. The largest diameter ranged from 2.5 cm to 8 cm. All lingual venous malformations presented as lobulated masses that were slightly hyperintense or isointense on T₁ weighted images and highly hyperintense on T₂ weighted images with respect to normal tongue and/or surrounding muscles. They showed a slow and homogeneous filling following iv injection of contrast medium. Millimetre-sized hypointense foci and linear hypointense strands were sometimes noticed, which were owing to phleboliths, flow void or septation.

Conclusion: Knowledge of MRI findings of lingual venous malformations is useful for differential diagnosis with other high intensity lingual lesions on T₂ weighted images. This discrimination is achievable using iv paramagnetic contrast medium.

Keywords: tongue; arteriovenous malformations; MRI

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S Cappabianca, W Del Vecchio, A Giudice, and G Colella Vascular malformations of the tongue: MRI findings on three cases. Dentomaxillofac. Radiol., May 1, 2006; 35(3): 205 - 208. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]