Interpretability of PET/CT imaging in head and neck cancer patients following composite mandibular resection and osteocutaneous free flap reconstruction
✍ Scribed by Christopher Oliver; Ashok Muthukrishnan; James Mountz; Erin Deeb; Jonas Johnson; Frederic Deleyiannis
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2008
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 177 KB
- Volume
- 30
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1043-3074
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Background.
We investigated positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scanning following segmental resections and osteocutaneous free‐flap reconstruction. The interpretability of PET/CT imaging with healing osteotomies and reconstruction hardware was analyzed.
Methods.
Patient scans within 18 months of surgery were interpreted for malignancy. Interpretations were compared with clinical data to determine sensitivity/specificity. Standardized uptake values (SUVs) were determined for bony controls, osteotomies, and tumors and were analyzed using paired t test.
Results
Fifteen scans were visually interpreted, 13 underwent SUV analysis. Reconstruction hardware did not interfere with interpretability. Sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 86%, respectively. Osteotomy sites averaged 25% higher SUVs compared with bony controls (vs sternum p = .003, vs mandible p = .008). Tumor SUVs were higher than osteotomies (p = .023) and controls (vs sternum p = .013, vs mandible p = .025).
Conclusion.
Although osteotomies were characterized by an increased fluorodeoxyglucose signal, scan interpretability was unimpaired. Our study suggests that PET/CT imaging can be utilized to survey free‐flap patients at acceptable levels of sensitivity/specificity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008