Extracranial head and neck: PET imaging with 2-[F-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose and MR imaging correlation

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Oncology
• Head and Neck Imaging

Background:

• Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) is a powerful imaging modality.
• Understanding normal anatomy is crucial for accurate disease detection in the head and neck region.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and quantitate normal extracranial head and neck anatomy using FDG PET.
• To evaluate the efficacy of FDG PET in detecting primary squamous cell carcinomas and metastatic lymph nodes.

Main Methods:

• FDG PET imaging was performed to establish normal anatomical reference values.
• The study involved 12 patients diagnosed with primary squamous cell carcinomas.
• Imaging findings were compared with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT).

Main Results:

• FDG PET successfully differentiated lymphoid tissues from surrounding structures like muscle and salivary glands.
• Tumors appeared as areas of significantly increased FDG uptake compared to normal tissues.
• FDG PET detected three non-enlarged metastatic lymph nodes missed by MR imaging.

Conclusions:

• FDG PET provides valuable anatomical information for the head and neck.
• FDG PET is a sensitive tool for detecting head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and lymph node metastases.
• FDG PET can identify metastatic disease not apparent with conventional imaging techniques.