Imaging of maxillary osteoradionecrosis

Over a 3-year period, four cases of maxillary osteoradionecrosis were diagnosed in patients undergoing radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma at the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, giving an estimated incidence of 0.8%. Patients with this complication presented after a mean period of 34 months post-radiotherapy. Risk factors that were identified were dental problems, and more than one full course of radical radiotherapy. Serial CT scans in the axial and coronal planes were useful in demonstrating the development, extent and features of maxillary osteoradionecrosis such as bony sclerosis, the destruction of maxillary antral walls and adjacent bony structures, and in excluding recurrent tumour.