Imaging pitfalls in the postoperative head and neck.

It may well be that imaging of the post-treatment head and neck is among the most difficult tasks faced by the radiologist. Pitfalls are everywhere, and opportunities for error endless. In this manuscript, an attempt is made to categorize many of the various types of pitfalls that exist in imaging the operated head and neck patient. The radiologist can avoid error by remembering certain common postoperative appearances and not misinterpreting them as abnormal, by having available baseline postoperative studies, and by gaining experience in this very challenging aspect of head and neck radiology.