Three-dimensional computed tomography in the head and neck diseases with bony abnormalities.

The purpose of this study was to define the role of three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) in the head and neck diseases with bony abnormalities. Thirty-two patients were examined with a low dose radiation technique. Three-dimensional CT clearly delineated bony lesions in 27 of 32 patients. Three-dimensional CT could not demonstrate subtle bony erosions infiltrated by tumor, a temporal bone fracture, and a blow-out fracture, although two-dimensional (2D) images obtained before the 3D reconstructions clearly depicted those lesions. These two kinds of CT technique were thought to be complimentary.