Presentation
Chronic headaches. Incidental finding.
Patient Data
There is a small well-defined soft tissue mass located on the lateral aspect of the right masseter muscle completely separated from the parotid gland measuring 20 x 15 x 8 mm and presenting a similar signal and enhancement to the parotid gland.
Minimal peripheral mucosal thickening of the maxillary sinuses.
Otherwise, unremarkable brain MRI.
Case Discussion
Accessory parotid glands are a normal variant and represent ectopic salivary tissue separate from, but usually in close proximity to, the main parotid glands. Usually discovered incidentally on ultrasound, CT or MRI in ~20% of the general population (as in this case).