Abstract:

Objective  To summarize and analyze the cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging features of ameloblastomas for clinical preoperative diagnosis. Methods  Thirty-seven cases with complete data proven by pathology were retrospectively studied for distinct CBCT features. Results  Of the 37 cases, 31 were primary and 6 were recurrent. On CBCT images, the 37 cases were composed of 36 cases (97.3%) of intraosseous lesions (17 cases of multilocular lesions, 17 cases of unilocular lesions, and 2 cases of honeycomb lesion) and 1 case (2.7%) of extraosseous lesion (soft tissue lesion). Of the 17 multilocular cases, 15 (88.2%) showed tongue-shaped crests in lesions. Thirty-four cases (94.4%) showed apparent expansible change toward lip/buccal and(or) palatal/lingual sides of jaw,with partialcortical erosion. Conclusion  CBCT imaging yields accurate three-dimensional images of lesion shape and structure. Therefore, CBCT can be usedfor the clinical diagnosis and surgical assessment of ameloblastoma.

Key words: ameloblastoma, cone-beam CT, clinical diagnosis