Relationship between magnetic resonance imaging and histopathologic findings in thrombosis in the oral and maxillofacial region: a case report

Histopathologic changes are observed during the clinical course of thrombosis, and the evaluation of such changes by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might enhance the accuracy of qualitative diagnosis of the disease. The relationship between histopathologic and MRI findings in the chronic phase of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) that developed in the masseter muscle of a 50-year-old Japanese female patient is described. Two regions with different MRI signal intensities were identified, and a 3-layer structure was observed by microscopy. The distinct MRI regions correlated with the microscopic structure, suggesting that MRI can be used for qualitative imaging of a maxillofacial thrombus.