[Imaging of parotid gland diseases with high resolution magnetic resonance tomography]

Twenty-one patients with tumors or chronic inflammation of the parotid gland were examined both by MRI and ultrasound. The findings of MRI were compared with sonography and with the findings of other imaging methods. In most cases MRI provided valuable additional information about the structure of the gland and the extent of a tumor. Sonography provided a correct estimation of the tumor extent in 11 of 15 patients with tumours, but MRI did so in all cases. In 5 out of 6 patients with stones or chronic inflammation, sonography provided the correct diagnosis; resolution of the gland structure was superior by MRI.