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Soft-tissue osteoma in the pterygomandibular space: report of a rare case

¹Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China; ²Department of Pathology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China

*Correspondence to: Gang Li, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, 22 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, PR China. E-mail: kqgang{at}bjmu.edu.cn

Received 26 November 2007; revised 28 January 2008; accepted 28 January 2008

Osteoma is a slow-growing, benign and uncommon neoplasm located primarily in the region of the maxillofacial skeleton. An extraskeletal soft-tissue osteoma is exceedingly rare. Here, we report a case of soft-tissue osteoma occurring in the pterygomandibular space in a 66-year-old woman. The patient complained of a hard mass superior to the left posterior teeth. Clinical examination did not reveal any extraoral swelling, facial asymmetry or difficulty in mouth opening, and the regional lymph nodes were non-palpable. CT images revealed well-circumscribed dense, radiopaque masses located between the left side of the maxilla and the lateral plate of the left pterygoid process and the left ramus of the mandible. Intraoperatively, the masses were completely surrounded by soft tissues with no attachment to the bone. Histological examination indicated the diagnosis of cancellous osteoma.

Keywords: bone-forming neoplasm; extraskeletal osteoma; soft-tissue osteoma; pterygomandibular space