102 Annals of Cancer Research and Therapy Vol. 29 No. 1, 2021 Ann. Cancer Res. Ther. Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 109-116, 2021 Introduction Many types of cystic lesions can be found within the soft tissues of the head and neck that often cannot be differentiated by clinical examinations. The diagnostic procedure can usually be initiated by performing an ultrasound examination, which may reveal the cystic nature of the lesion. However, while such a definition is easy for operating surgeons to comprehend, it is not quite accurate with regard to the topographic anatomy 1-3) . Furthermore, with large lesions, complete visualization may not be possible, and the identifcation of the origin of the lesion can be diffcult 1) . The most frequent complication of such cysts is an infection, which in most cases leads to complete and incomplete fstulas, abscesses neck, abscesses, and low- current pyoinfammatory processes, such as local infltra- tion and lymphadenitis 4) . This is particularly common with lesions in the suprahyoid region of the neck. Lesions that involve the parapharyngeal, deep parotid, masticator, and other deep fascial spaces are particularly problemat- ic. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is therefore often necessary to arrive at a diagnosis and elucidate the extent of the lesion. Neck cystic masses are fairly frequent developmental defects, and surgery is the only method of treatment, with early intervention usually recommended to avoid complications 2) . Cyst lesions are defned as a closed cav- ity or sac lined by epithelium. These lesions are typi- cally filled with fluid, but air, blood products, pus and other proteinaceous material can also be seen. Signal intensities on MRI are determined by the content within the cystic lesion. For example, a simple fuid-flled cyst characteristically has a homogeneous low signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and a high intensity on T2WI. However, if a lesion is complicated by protein- aceous fuid or hemorrhaging, it may appear as soft tissue with a high signal intensity on T1WI. The MRI features confrmatory of the cystic origin are fuid-fuid levels and propagation of artefacts in the phase encoding direction. However, a number of cysts also have typical locations, which can aid in making the diagnosis. Materials and methods Of the 121 patients examined by MRI, 84 were di- agnosed with true neck cysts, including 45 with thyro- glossal cysts (TGCs) of the neck, 25 with lateral cysts, and 14 with dermoid cysts. A total of 84 true cysts were MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CYSTIC LESIONS OF THE NECK Lalita Yunusova 1) , Jasur Rizaev 2) , Toru Aoyama 3) , Sobirjon Mamarajabov 2) , Dilorom Djakhangirova 1) , Junichi Sakamoto 4) , Jahongir Shukurov 1) , Kamron Olimjonov 1) 1) Tashkent State Dental Institute, Uzbekistan 2) Samarkand State Medical Institute, Uzbekistan 3) Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, Japan 4) Tokai Central Hospital, Japan Abstract Cystic lesions of the head and neck are important entities that are being investigated increasingly frequently by cross- sectional imaging. Patients usually show neck swelling, and after initial clinical examinations, sonography may reveal the cystic nature of the lesion. Further imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often necessary to elucidate the etiology and lesion depth. This illustrated review describes the typical appearances and locations of a range of cystic lesions in the suprahyoid neck on MRI. Keywords: Сysts of the neck, MRI, thyroglossal cyst, dermoid cyst, cystic lymphadenopathy. (Received April 7, 2021; Accepted May 18, 2021) Correspondence: Toru Aoyama, Department of Surgery, Yokohama City University, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan. TEL: +81-45-787-2800, E-mail: t-aoyama@lilac.plala.or.jp