Practical imaging of the parotid gland.

The parotid gland may be affected by numerous pathologies, and physicians from many different medical and surgical specialties request parotid imaging. Mastering the typical imaging features of various types of parotid pathology is facilitated by understanding how various diseases produce their characteristic imaging findings. In this review article, we present succinct overviews of the normal anatomy and the common pathologies of the parotid gland and recommend a practical approach to differential diagnosis that can be easily implemented in day-to-day radiology practice.