SWELLING OF THE TEMPORAL REGION - A CASE OF BENIGN MASTICATORY MUSCLEHYPERTROPHY

A 35-year-old Caucasian woman had bilateral indolent swelling of the t emporal regions. Imaging studies with nuclear magnetic resonance, ultr asonography and histopathological investigation revealed enlargement o f the temporal and masseter muscles, with no pathology in the skin or subcutaneous tissue. A smalt prolactinoma of the pituitary gland was i ncidentally found. The condition, designated benign masticatory muscle hypertrophy, should be distinguished from similar diseases affecting the skin and the subcutaneous tissue of the scalp. The cause remains u nknown.