Diagnostic imaging for a case of maxillary myxoma with a review of the magnetic resonance images of myxoid lesions

The findings of conventional radiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are reported for an odontogenic myxoma arising in the left anterior maxilla of a 50-year-old man. The magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of an intraosseous myxoma are described for the first time. The initial conventional radiographic examination disclosed a unilocular radiolucency with poorly delineated margins as typically seen in malignant tumors. Subsequently, acquired computed tomography scans displayed bony expansion and thinning of cortices on the labial aspect of the lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined, well-enhanced mass lesion with homogeneous signal intensity on every pulse sequence. The lesion showed intermediate signal intensity on the T-1- and T-2-weighted images. Magnetic resonance imaging of the present maxillary myxoma revealed a higher signal intensity on T-1-weighted and a lower signal intensity on T-2-weighted images than for previously reported myxomas of the soft tissues. This discrepancy might be related to the viscosity of the mucoid substance or the protein density of the tumor.