After a scan and a report, the doctor saw some "activity" on the pterygoid muscle on the left side of the neck. We see our surgeon next Wednesday, April 28 to interrupt the report to us.
Does anybody know where that muscle is and what function it has??? They also mentioned the activity could be from the original surgery. Hopefully that will be the case. Thanks for any info. Becky Ray (concerned caretaker for my dear husband)

Just noticed that I meant to say interpret,not interrupt. Oh Opps!
Becky

Hi Becky -think positive it's probably just scar tissue. I had a bunch of abnormal MRI's post Tx and none of them amounted to anything.

Ok, I'm another one not sure what that muscle is, I could look it up in Gray's anatomy I guess.

First PET/CT scan after surgery and radiation, that big honkin muscle that runs vertically down the side of the neck glowed like it was radioactive. Oncologist said either healing process or residual cancer both will show up on a scan. Subsequent scans showed less and less, so it didn't show up at all on last scan, one year later. Guess it wasn't residual cancer.

If it's the whole muscle showing up, most likely healing from the surgery/rad. See the surgeon for professonal peace of mind, my experience anecdotal

Bob

OK, Guys, I got out my handy dandy anatomy and physiology from nursing school days.......I can`t find the muscle in question, I am seeing platysma, which originates in the fascia over deltoid and pectoralis major muscles, it insets at the mandible, muscles around angle of mouth, and skin of lower face. It`s action draws outer part of lower lip downward and backward, as if pouting, and depresses the mandible, connects with facial nerve 7.............that`s the closest i can find and it does run down the neck..............Dee

There is not just one pterygoid muscle... actually there are internal, external, lateral and medial pterigoids, that are involved in the movement of the mandible. The reason that these muscles come up so often in relationship to the issue that we are all interested in so much is that they are affected when surgery is part of the treatment protocol, and they actualy come into contact with and protect the maxillary arteries. They are frequently tissues that invasive carcinomas can affect. More knowlege than this about their locations and functions serves doctors that are working on us but does not help us. By the way, the "big honkin muscle" that stand out on the side of your neck is the sternocleiodmastoid and runs to your sternum from the upper part of your neck behind your ear, so that you can rotate your head......