3D quantitative values of osteoradionecrosis of the jaw derived from ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and bone SPECT/CT studies

To investigate the clinical utility of the 3D quantitative values derived from fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) and bone single-photon computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT/CT) for the diagnosis of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the jaw.

Thirty four patients with head and neck cancer who had a history of radiotherapy and clinically diagnosed as ORN and who undertaken ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT (n=23) or quantitative bone SPECT/CT (n=11) were enrolled. Standardized uptake values (SUV), including maximum SUV (SUVmax), peak SUV (SUVpeak), and mean SUV (SUVmean), as well as metabolic lesion volume (MLV), representing total volume above threshold, and total lesion uptake (TLU), calculated as MLVxSUVmean were determined.

In ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT results, mean values (range) of SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, MLV, and TLU of 24 lesions were 6.72±2.62 (3.67~14.36), 5.25±2.05 (2.46~10.88), 3.77±1.33 (1.74~7.69), 11.49±9.61 (1.54~43.14), and 49.07±59.26 (4.44~271.05), respectively. In quantitative bone SPECT/CT results, mean values (range) of SUVmax, SUVpeak, SUVmean, MLV, and TLU of 16 lesions were 5.26±0.89 (3.71~7.07), 4.62±0.78 (3.09~6.02), 3.44±0.46 (2.68~4.32), 14.45±9.93 (1.48~33.32), and 49.72±35.51 (4.60~127.86), respectively.

As objective and reliable indicators, 3D quantitative values (SUV and volume) derived from ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and quantitative bone SPECT/CT results are useful for evaluation of the disease activity of ORN of the jaw.