Comparison of Color Doppler Ultrasound Characteristics between Parotid Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma and Basal Cell Adenoma.

Abstract

Knowledge of the color Doppler ultrasound (US) characteristics of parotid malignant mucoepidermoid carcinoma and benign basal cell adenoma remains limited. To enhance understanding of these two diseases, we retrospectively analyzed 9 cases of surgically and histopathologically confirmed mucoepidermoid carcinomas and 18 cases of basal cell adenomas. The results revealed that mucoepidermoid carcinomas exhibited irregular and deeply lobulated shapes in 55.5% of cases, ambiguous margins in 88.8%, and punctuate calcifications in 66.7%. In contrast, basal cell adenomas demonstrated regular and shallowly lobulated shapes in 72.2% of cases, clear margins in 100%, and calcifications in only 5.6%. Significant differences were observed in these characteristics between the two tumor types. Therefore, we conclude that the color Doppler US features closely associated with mucoepidermoid carcinoma include deeply lobulated or irregular shapes, ambiguous margins, and punctate calcifications. Recognizing these characteristics can facilitate the differential diagnosis of the two kinds of tumors.