BACKGROUND: Bibliometric analysis is commonly used to identify influential research within a given topic. PURPOSE: To identify the 100 top-cited articles in head and neck radiology, analyse the history and trends in head and neck imaging research, and understand what constitutes a highly cited work. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature search was performed on the Thomson Reuters Web of Science using pre-defined search terms. The results were ranked according to citation count and screened to create a single database. The information included in the database were: Web of Science citations, year published, first author, primary institution, country of origin, journal, journal impact factor, title, study design, study focus and modality. RESULTS: 24,664 eligible papers were returned. Citations for the 100 top-cited articles ranged from 115 to 1185, and citations per year ranged from 3.5 to 197.5. More than half of the articles were published in the 2000s ( = 67). Radiology has the greatest number of publications ( = 22), followed by Journal of Nuclear Medicine ( = 14). Positron Emission Tomography ( = 56) was the most commonly studied modality, followed by Magnetic Resonance ( = 40) and Computed Tomography ( = 31). The most common topics of publication were diagnosis ( = 63), followed by prognosis ( = 16). CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into the most influential research in head and neck radiology in the current time. It also serves as a guide to the characteristics of a highly cited work in this field.