Parapharyngeal space paraganglioma: distinguishing vagal paragangliomas from carotid body tumours using standard MRI

AIM To evaluate whether standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could distinguish vagal paragangliomas (VPs) from carotid body tumours (CBTs) in the parapharyngeal space. METHODS AND MATERIALS Thirteen VPs in 13 patients and 29 CBTs in 26 patients were included in this study. MRI features were evaluated independently by two head and neck radiologists with 10 and 16 years of experience (X.Wang and Y.Chen). RESULTS Significant differences were found in shape, direction of internal carotid artery (ICA) displacement, splaying of the carotid bifurcation, involvement of the jugular foramen, and maximum vertical diameters between VPs and CBTs (p=0.016, CONCLUSION MRI features can effectively differentiate VPs from CBTs in the parapharyngeal space.