Male, 66 years old, with a mass in the right parotid tail. Several small T1 hypointense nodules are seen within the superficial right parotid gland, corresponding to an area of ill-defined soft tissue thickening seen on prior CT. The largest of these nodules measures up to 6 mm and shows questionable minimal enhancement. These nodules are not specifically visualized on either T2 weighted or diffusion weighted images. Overall, the abnormality has become significantly less conspicuous when compared to the prior CT.More superiorly in the right parotid gland, there is a 3 mm superficial cystic lesion which is nonspecific. The remaining salivary glands are unremarkable. The aerodigestive mucosa as visualized is free of mass lesions. No fluid collections are detected. No pathologic adenopathy is seen. The bone marrow shows normal signal characteristics. Mucosal thickening is evident in the right maxillary sinus.
Several subcentimeter T1 hypointense structures are evident within the right parotid gland correlating to an area of ill-defined thickening seen on prior CT. This tissue does not exhibit specifically aggressive features, and overall the abnormality is much less conspicuous than on the prior examination.Given the relatively benign appearance and overall interval improvement, the possibility of an inflammatory process should be considered. Although a neoplastic process cannot be entirely excluded, it is felt to be less likely.