title: A comparative diagnostic study of head and neck nodal metastases using positron emission tomography.
abstract: A prospective study was conducted to compare the accuracy of clinical examination, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) in identifying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma metastatic to cervical lymph nodes. The findings in the necks of 49 patients evaluated by clinical examination and CT were compared to the findings in the same necks by PET, a newly available metabolic imaging modality. Pathology specimens were available for 45 of the necks. The findings of PET and CT correlated in 84% of cases. In the cases that did not correlate, CT proved correct in four of five cases. PET (82%) and CT (84%) were comparable and were both better than clinical examination (71%) in correctly identifying the presence or absence of metastatic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27157-1034, USA.
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: McGuirt
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Keyes
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Greven
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Geisinger
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Cappellari
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009333:Neck; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose