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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Longitudinal Micro-Computed Tomography Image Analysis for User-Defined Region of Interest in Critical-Sized Bone Defects
Published on: June 24, 2025
Osseous changes on bone-window MDCT as indicator of perineural spread in palatal adenoid cystic carcinoma
Griffin C Guess1, Roberta W Dalley2, Austin E Schumacher3
1Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Division, Department of Oral Medicine, University of Washington, Box 356370, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Objectives:
To evaluate the distribution and prevalence of osseous changes associated with palatal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) perineural spread (PNS) using bone-window MDCT and assess whether these findings correlate with MRI-diagnosed PNS.
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective image study was conducted of patients with palatal ACC who underwent pre-treatment MDCT and/or MRI.
Results:
Most common osseous changes in bone-window MDCT (N = 38) were erosion and/or enlargement of the canals/fossa/foramina (81.6%). The most frequent affected sites were palatine foramen/canal (76.3%), pterygopalatine fossa (44.7%), foramen rotundum (34.2%) and Vidian canal (31.6%). Mean size of the affected sites was 186.6% relative to the contralateral sites. Additional findings included adjacent palatal bony erosion (76.3%), surrounding bone sclerosis (13.2%), and internal calcification (13.2%). Among patients with both MDCT and MRI (N = 31), the only osseous findings significantly associated with the presence of PNS diagnosed by MRI was bony erosion/enlargement (p = 0.003) with 96.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
Conclusions:
Erosion and/or enlargement of foramina, fossae or canals on bone-window MDCT are strongly associated MRI-confirmed PNS.
