Analysis of misses in imaging of head and neck pathology by attending neuroradiologists at a single tertiary academic medical centre

•Errors were most common in the aerodigestive tract, orbits, and masticator space.•85.1% of errors were perceptual.•Most misses were detected on exams not performed for a primary H&N indication.•Clearly malignant or potentially malignant masses represent half of all misses.•Search patterns including anatomic sites of common errors could decrease misses.