Spectrum of parotid gland diseases: Functional nuclear medicine imaging

Learning Objectives 1. To present the anatomy of parotid glands with emphasis on their relationship with the facial nerve and the potential presence of accessory glands, 2. To raise the important clinical impact of parotid gland diseases with potential involvement of the embedded facial nerve and dissemination to adjacent vessels, cranial nerves and parapharyngeal space, and 3. To familiarize the viewers with the spectrum of parotid gland benign and malignant diseases through functional nuclear medicine imaging.

The parotid gland is the site of the majority of salivary gland tumors, which account for 5-7% of all head and neck neoplasms. With the propensity to tumor spread to the facial nerve, neighboring vessels and other cranial nerves, and adjacent parapharyngeal space, the parotid gland lesions require both anatomic and functional imaging for the accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment of these lesions. This pictorial essay presents the epidemiology and characteristics of parotid gland diseases including benign, malignant, frequent and rare entities, and the impact of functional nuclear medicine imaging in the detection, diagnosis, staging and post-therapeutic monitoring of these tumors.