Gallium-67 SPECT-CT for the evaluation of head and neck: preliminary study on maximum standardised uptake value in lesions, and in the parotid and submandibular glands

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the gallium-67 ((67)Ga) single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) for the evaluation of head and neck, especially maximum standardised uptake value (SUV(max)) in lesions, and in the parotid and submandibular glands. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with head and neck lesions who underwent SPECT-CT at 72 hours after injection of (67)Ga were included in this study. The (67)Ga SPECT-CT parameters SUV(max) were compared between the parotid glands and submandibular glands. Statistical analyses for the SUV(max) were performed by Mann-Whitney U test. A p value lower than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Of all 14 patients, (67)Ga SPECT-CT was positive for two cases (one malignant lymphoma and one osteomyelitis). The SUV(max) for malignant lymphoma and osteomyelitis were 11.21 and 10.95, respectively. Furthermore, SUV(max) for parotid glands and submandibular glands of all patients were 4.86 ± 1.89 and 4.64 ± 1.64, respectively (p = 0.694). CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated the (67)Ga SPECT-CT for the evaluation of head and neck, especially SUV(max) of lesions, and the parotid and submandibular glands. (67)Ga SPECT-CT may be an effective technique for the evaluation of maxillofacial lesions.