Lead paste artifact

Oral

&n-g.

May, 1973

LEAD PASTE ARTIFACT

T

11~1 initial l’ano~s film (left) of an ctlcntulous XS~ear-old white man cxhihitcld a radiopaquc mass over the posterior l,orcler of the left maxillary sinus. The patient (Icnicd any t,-pe of craniofacial injury. A second Yanorex film tak(‘rl \vitli !IIP same cdasscttc esllihitcd a ~h;rllgc~ in position of the mass which appc;~ IXVI to o\.crlic the left t,uberosit?- r*cgion outlining the hamular notch iright). The cassettt: ~-as c*arcbfully esaminctl and was nott>d to have, over the IMtiCllt ‘S l(‘i’t upper WrllCr, a pattern of lcad paste similar to the pattern of the ratliopacit>- 011the film. A p&apical film of the region was taken and did not SllOW a radi0pilcit~. Rome leatl pas& from the lead-filled identifying tape was c~~prcssctl onto another I)eGapical film pack& which was exposed and processed. Thc~ pattern was identical on both the packet and the film. It was concluded that, the radiopacit?- on the Panorex film was artifactual, caused by incomplete removal of the identifying tape material from the cassette. Dole L. Rullel Benjnmilz W. Warner, D.D.S., M.S.D. Rodd E. Bier, D.D.S., M.S.D. Nevix Writers Tiniversity of Missouri at Kansas City School of I)entistr;v