Multimodality Imaging Spectrum of the Extranodal Lymphomas in the Head and Neck—A Pictorial Review

Abstract

Lymphoma is the second most common malignant neoplasm of the head and neck region, involving the nodal and/or extranodal sites or both in a variable fashion. Lymphoma may mimic a variety of tumors in this region depending on the subsite involved. The usual presentation of lymphomatous disease is presence of multiple enlarged, often conglomerate, lymph nodes without significant necrosis. Extranodal lymphomas demonstrate more complex radiologic features, but careful evaluation can identify distinct imaging patterns to suggest extranodal lymphomatous disease from other more common lesions. Knowledge of these imaging features can help raise suspicion for lymphoma as a differential consideration. This can be of critical importance since further work-up and management can be vastly different between lymphomatous disease and other disease entities. The authors present a pictorial review of the spectrum of imaging findings in extranodal head and neck lymphomas.