A computer program to assess the bone scan index for Tc-99m hydroxymethylene diphosphonate: evaluation of jaw pathologies of patients with bone metastases using SPECT/CT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the jaw pathologies of patients with bone metastases using a computer program to assess the bone scan index (BSI) for Tc-99m hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HMDP) with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT). METHODS: Ninety-seven patients with jaw pathologies (24 with bone metastases and 73 without) were evaluated. High-risk hot spots and BSI in the patients were evaluated using the VSBONE BSI (ver.1.1) analysis software for Tc-99m HMDP that scanned SPECT/CT and automatically defined the data. The two groups were compared using the Pearson chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U test for high-risk hot spots and BSI, respectively. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: High-risk hot spot occurrence was significantly correlated to bone metastases [sensitivity, 21/24 (87.5%); specificity, 40/73 (54.8%); accuracy, 61/97 (62.9%); P < 0.001]. The number of high-risk hot spots was higher in patients with bone metastases (5.96 ± 10.30) than in those without (0.90 ± 1.50; P < 0.001). Furthermore, the BSI for patients with bone metastases (1.44 ± 2.18%) was significantly higher than for those without (0.22 ± 0.44%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A computer program that assessed BSI for Tc-99m HMDP may be useful in the evaluation of patients with bone metastases using SPECT/CT.