Head and Neck Paragangliomas: CT, MR, and ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE PET Imaging

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that result from the abnormal migration of neural crest progenitor cells, or paraganglia, during embryonic development. Paraganglia in the head and neck migrate along a branchial mesoderm; therefore, head and neck paragangliomas may occur anywhere along the branchiomeric distribution. Head and neck paragangliomas demonstrate a number of characteristic features, such as common anatomic locations, symptomatology, associated genetic mutations, and appearance on multimodal imaging. Understanding these important attributes can allow for a prompt and accurate diagnosis. This article provides a pictorial review of the common imaging features of head and neck paragangliomas.

Learning Objective: Describe the multimodal imaging appearance of head and neck paragangliomas and their common anatomic locations.