Hard and soft tissue changes of osteomyelitis of the jaws on CT images

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the hard and soft tissue changes in osteomyelitis (OM) of the jaws using CT images. Study Design: The CT images of 153 patients (59 males and 94 females) with OM of the jaws were retrospectively reviewed. The relationships between each space involvement, between space and muscle involvements, between cortical bone defect and space involvement, and between cortical bone defect and muscle involvement were evaluated. Results: The cortical bone defect was more common on the buccal side in the maxilla and on the lingual side in the mandible. The most commonly involved muscle was the buccinator muscle in the maxilla and the masseter muscle in the mandible and the most frequently involved space was the buccal space followed by the masticator space. Conclusions: CT is a useful tool in evaluating both hard and soft tissue changes of OM of the jaws.