[Indications for nuclear magnetic resonance tomography in tumors of the facial skeleton and neck area].

The diagnostic value of magnetic resonance tomography is examined in relation to computed tomography on the basis of 32 patients subjected to magnetic resonance tomography who had pathological processes in the craniofacial, parapharyngeal and neck regions. The high power of contrast resolution, multiplanar imaging, and good circumscription of cervical vessels, offer advantages over computed tomography in respect of space-occupying growths in the median and lower parts of the craniofacial skull. A disadvantage is the poorer detectability of tumour-conditioned bone destruction at the base of the skull and at the facial bones; in such cases, computed tomography remains the method of choice.