[Scintigraphic panoramic imaging of the jaws]

A method for the generation of a panoramic image from skeletal scintiscans of the jaws with the aid of a cylindrical projection of emission CT scans ist presented. Based on this "panoramic tomoscintigraphy" the jaw regions, arranged in the order of the arch segments, are evaluated numerically and the quantitative results are presented in a clearly organized form. The relative activity of each segment is computed relative to the corresponding contraletaral segment or to the average activity of the respective jaw. In the case of pathologic findings the respective segments are highlighted in the dental chart. A set of normal values with standard deviations has been generated using this method in 24 patients without evidence of any jaw pathology. Within the framework of the significance limit it was not possible to demonstrate any right/left asymmetry in the metabolic activities of the jaw bone.