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FIG 4. The most common contents of mylohyoid defects are fat, followed by blood vessels. Fat-containing defects are seen as discrete areas of discontinuity in the mylohyoid muscle, containing low-density adipose tissue. Blood vessels may be identified passing through discrete mylohyoid defects or may be seen perforating the mylohyoid muscle, without an identifiable defect.
A and B, Postcontrast CT images in different patients. A, On the patient's right side, there is a discrete, wedge-shaped defect in the mid-to-anterior aspect of the mylohyoid muscle (small arrow). On the patient's left side, there is a blood vessel perforating the mylohoid muscle, without an associated defect (large arrow). B, On the patient's left side, there is a large defect in the anterior half of the mylohyoid muscle, containing both fat and a large blood vessel (arrow).
C and D, CT and coronal CT reformation correlation in the same patient. C is a postcontrast axial CT scan, and D is a coronal, reformatted CT image. These images show a discrete, fat-containing defect in the mid mylohyoid muscle (large arrow). On the coronal image, the small arrow on the patient's left side identifies the intact mylohyoid muscle for comparison (18).
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