Multimodality Imaging of Pediatric Parotid Gland Lesions

sialolithiasis, neoplasms and developmental disorders may be encountered in the pediatric parotid gland. These lesions may present with swelling of the parotid region, which makes diagnosis problematic. The use of imaging plays an important role in defining the location and extent of lesions and for evaluating involvement of the facial nerve, including the mastoid portion. Finally, imaging can provide a specific diagnosis in a proper clinical setting. The imaging modalities used to evaluate parotid lesions have changed over the past several decades. Plain films and sialograms were used initially, but basic approaches today involve ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1). In this review, we describe the imaging spectrum of a variety of congenital and acquired lesions in the pediatric parotid gland, with a comparison of the findings with the use of various imaging modalities.