title: 201Tl imaging for differentiating between malignant and benign neck masses.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the ability of 201Tl scintigraphy to differentiate between malignant and benign neck masses. Fifty-eight patients with neck masses, whose diagnoses were confirmed by histological examination, were examined. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 201Tl scintigraphy were 80%, 96% and 88% respectively; when salivary gland masses were excluded, these values were 87%, 95% and 91% respectively. Our results suggest that 201Tl scintigraphy is highly reliable in determining the malignancy of neck masses, especially when salivary gland masses are excluded.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Yiğitbaşi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tutuş
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bozdemir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nardali
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Güney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes