Scintimammography with a hybrid SPECT/CT imaging system.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Planar scintimammography effectively characterizes breast lesions larger than 10 mm.
• Functional anatomical mapping (FAM) using Tc-99m sestamibi scintimammography with a hybrid SPECT/CT device was evaluated.
• The study aimed to assess the utility of this hybrid approach for breast lesion evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Tc-99m sestamibi scintimammography with a hybrid SPECT/CT device for functional anatomical mapping (FAM) in patients with suspicious breast lesions.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of planar scintimammography versus hybrid SPECT/CT.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-three patients with mammographically suspicious lesions underwent three planar scintimammography images and a chest SPECT/CT using a hybrid device.
• Histopathological diagnosis was obtained post-surgery for all patients.

Main Results:

• SPECT/CT demonstrated higher sensitivity (89.2%) than planar imaging (73%) for detecting breast cancer.
• For cancers ≤10 mm, SPECT/CT sensitivity was 71.4% versus 42.9% for planar imaging.
• SPECT/CT accuracy (90.6%) surpassed planar imaging (79.2%), with similar specificity (93.8%). FAM provided precise anatomical localization of SPECT findings.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid SPECT/CT scintimammography is a valuable tool for breast cancer detection.
• SPECT/CT offers superior sensitivity compared to planar scintimammography, especially for smaller cancers.
• Functional anatomical mapping enhances the diagnostic utility of SPECT/CT by localizing findings accurately.