MRI evaluation of Kimura’s disease with emphasis on diffusion weighted imaging and enhancement characteristics

Abstract

Kimura’s disease is a rare disease of the head and neck region affecting mainly the adult males in eastern countries. The parotid and periparotid subcutaneous regions are the most common sites in head and neck region. Coupled with peripheral eosinophilia and raised serum IgE levels as characteristic features on hemogram, a painless swelling in parotid and periparotid region is diagnostic of Kimura’s disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been an important modality in evaluating lesions of the head and neck region. Recently, interest in the diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and contrast enhanced MRI (CEMRI) imaging of lesions in Kimura’s disease has been noted to characterize it and differentiate it from other pathologies. We describe a case a recurrent Kimura’s disease of the periparotid region and its MRI features with special emphasis on its characteristics on DWI and contrast enhanced sequences.

Keywords

• kimura’s disease
• diffusion weighted imaging
• contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
• magnetic resonance imaging