How to perform CT examination of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The location of the tumor in the nasopharyngeal cavity can be known by CT examination. Whether the lumen is deformed or asymmetrical, and whether the pharyngeal recess becomes shallow or occluded. In addition, it can also show extra-nasopharyngeal invasion, such as nasal cavity, oropharynx, parapharyngeal space, subfacial fossa, carotid sheath, pterygopalatine fossa, maxillary sinus, ethmoid sinus, orbital, intracranial cavernous sinus, retropharyngeal and cervical lymph nodes.

Nasopharyngeal endoscopy is of great value in the diagnosis of intracavitary small tumors, but X-ray plain films and CT often can not find this kind of small tumors. However, most of the posterior wall and lateral wall tumors are submucosal infiltrative growth, which is difficult to be detected by nasopharyngoscopy, but nasopharyngeal lateral radiography and CT can clearly show. CT showed lateral wall tumors more clearly than X-ray plain films.