Computed tomography of the infrahyoid neck. Part II. Pathology

The computed tomographic (CT) scans of 44 patients who presented with nonthyroid/parathyroid lesions involving the soft tissues of the neck were analyzed. Among these patients, there were 26 with nodal masses, 6 with vascular lesions, 5 with neural lesions, and 8 with disease involving the connective tissues. One patient had both connective-tissue and vascular disease. CT allowed accurate determination of the extent of the disease, while certain CT features added specificity to the diagnosis. It is concluded that CT is the procedure of choice in examining patients with neck lesions.