[Follow-up in patients with head and neck tumors: evaluation of CT criteria for local tumor recurrence].
BACKGROUND
Aim of this study was to evaluate morphologic criteria for diagnosis of locally recurrent head and neck tumors in helical CT.


METHODS
Retrospective study, 44 examinations with radiologically abnormal findings were re-read by two radiologists; findings were analysed and correlated with histological diagnosis and clinical findings.


RESULTS
25 cases of local tumor recurrence were confirmed histologically. The accuracy of helical-CT in our preselected examinations for a local tumor recurrence was 93.5 %, the specificity 83.3 %. But 13/44 cases showed radiologically equivocal findings, among them 6 tumor recurrences. The most common characteristics of the 25 proven tumor recurrences were: contrast medium enhancement (96 %), increased volume in comparison to previous examination (92 %), inhomogenity (72 %); however contrast medium-enhancement and increasing volume were also seen in 68.4 % and 63.1 % of the benign changes.


CONCLUSIONS
Contrast medium enhancement and increasing volume are criteria with a high sensitivity but low specifity in predicting a local tumor recurrence in head and neck cancer.
Schaible
R
R
Radiologische Universitätsklinik Bonn.
Hortling
N
N
Stein
M
M
Kreft
B
B
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
Spiral-Computertomographie in der Nachsorge von Kopf-Hals-Karzinomen: Uberprüfung von Kriterien zur lokalen Rezidivdiagnostik.