Purpose: To describe the CT and MR findings in the denervated tongue after a radical neck dissection.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the radiologic findings in seven patients who had hypoglossal paralysis following radical neck dissection. None of the patients had clinical or radiologic evidence of tumor recurrence.
Results: The side of the tongue operated on showed low density on CT scans. At MR imaging, denervated tongues were clearly seen as hyperintense relative to muscle on T2-weighted images; on T1-weighted images, the signal was hypointense to hyperintense, representing increased extracellular water or fatty degeneration.
Conclusion: In patients who have undergone a neck dissection for a malignant process, abnormal imaging findings in the tongue not only might indicate a recurrence of tumor involving the hypoglossal nerve but also suggest the possibility of postoperative change. Our findings emphasize the importance of the denervated tongue in differentiating inflammatory from neoplastic diseases of the the tongue.