Objective: A prospective study was designed to compare computer-aided 3D 99mTc-DPD SPECT reconstruction, conventional 99mTc-DPD SPECT investigation (n = 88) and flurine-18 PET (n = 10) in the assessment of mandibular bone invasion by SCC.
Patients/methods: Between 10/97 and 03/00 88 patients with SCC of the mandibular region were enrolled in this study. In 50 cases mandibular resection (segmental or marginal) was performed basing on the pretherapeutic diagnostic results.
Results: No differences could be found between 3D 99mTc-DPD SPECT reconstruction and conventional 99mTc-DPD SPECT investigation. Both techniques revealed the same high sensitivity (100%) and the same specificity of 91.6 (efficiency 95.4%). Flurine-18 PET showed a sensitivity of 100%, but specificity only reached 50% (efficiency 60.0%).
Conclusions: This investigation does not provide evidence that the financial and time consuming techniques of computer-aided 3D 99mTc-DPD SPECT reconstruction and flurine-18 PET show advantages compared to conventional 99mTc-DPD SPECT investigation in the assessment of mandibular invasion by SCC.