A 52-year-old female patient presented with facial injury suspicious for nasal bone fracture. During facial bone computed tomography (CT), a well-circumscribed cystic lesion was discovered incidentally on right side of the mandible (). The patient did not complain of any discomfort, pain, or numbness of the lower face. She also denied any trauma to the chin or significant surgical history.\nLateral radiographs showed a well-defined, radiolucent, ovoid lesion anterior to the right mandibular angle (). The coronal and sagittal CT images demonstrated a deficiency in the mandibular defect containing the soft tissue lesion in continuity with the submandibular gland (). Based on the radiological findings, the patient was diagnosed with a Stafne bone cavity, and regular observation was recommended.
A 49-year-old asymptomatic male patient was referred to a private clinic in order to undergo routine panoramic radiography. Results showed an oval-shaped, radiolucent area of cystic aspect and regular, well-defined cortical outline; its longest axis was placed horizontally in the left hemimandible. This lithic area, located under the lower left third molar, was anterior to the mandibular angle, and reached the border of the mandible, which showed thinner than normal width due to the presence of the bone defect. The apparent unity of the upper contour of the lesion and the upper wall of the mandibular canal gave them a thicker than normal appearance. The fact that the lower wall of the mandibular canal was visible within the radiolucent area showed that there could be a neighboring relationship, but not an involvement, of the inferior alveolar nerve ().\nAs a hard buccal protuberance was perceived on palpation, a CT was performed. The coronal view in the CT scan showed that there had been a distention of the mandibular buccal cortex and that glandular tissue had been spreading into the bone defect. A further coronal view revealed the buccal location of the mandibular canal, which was preserved (Figures and ).\nA previous scintigraphy revealed an inflammatory condition associated with an obstructive process involving the submandibular glands, particularly on the left side ().