Prevalence and Clinical Implications of Incidentally Detected Parotid Lesions as Blind Spot on Brain MRI: A Single-Center Experience
In-Chul Nam,
Hye-Jin Baek,
Kyeong-Hwa Ryu,
Jin-Il Moon,
Eun Cho,
Hyo-Jung An,
Seokho Yoon,
Jiyeon Baik
Affiliations
In-Chul Nam
Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Hye-Jin Baek
Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Kyeong-Hwa Ryu
Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Jin-Il Moon
Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Eun Cho
Department of Radiology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Hyo-Jung An
Department of Pathology, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Seokho Yoon
Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine and Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon 51472, Korea
Jiyeon Baik
Department of Radiology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan 48108, Korea
Background and objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and clinical implications of parotid lesions detected incidentally during brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Materials and Methods: Between February 2016 and February 2021, we identified 86 lesions in the brain MRI reports of 84 patients that contained the words “parotid gland” or “PG”. Of these, we finally included 49 lesions involving 45 patients following histopathological confirmation. Results: Based on the laboratory, radiological or histopathological findings, the prevalence of incidental parotid lesions was low (1.2%). Among the 45 study patients, 41 (91.1%) had unilateral lesions, and the majority of the lesions were located in the superficial lobe (40/49, 81.6%). The mean size of the parotid lesions was 1.3 cm ± 0.4 cm (range, 0.5 cm–2.8 cm). Of these, 46 parotid lesions (93.9%) were benign, whereas the remaining three lesions were malignant (6.1%). Conclusions: Despite the low prevalence and incidence of malignancy associated with incidental parotid lesions detected on brain MRI, the clinical implications are potentially significant. Therefore, clinical awareness and appropriate imaging work-up of these lesions are important for accurate diagnosis and timely management.
