[Scintigraphy by l'Octreoscan in the management of head and neck paragangliomas].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the usefulness of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy [Octreoscan] in a series of 18 patients referred for a suspicion of paraganglioma of the head and neck between July 2001 and February 2002.


METHODS
Sixteen patients had one or several paragangliomas of the head and neck diagnosed on conclusive conventional imaging including CT and MR scan. In two patients, radiological data were not conclusive. Planar images were obtained 4 and 24 hr after the iv injection of 148-185 MBq [Octreoscan].


RESULTS
Twenty-two hot spot lesions were detected. Twenty of these lesions corresponded to the twenty known paragangliomas. The volume of the smallest tumor was 0.2 cm(3). In one patient, intense thyroid nodule uptake led to the surgical diagnosis of oncocytoma. In two lesions, where conventional imaging was not conclusive, arteriography showed a typical aspect of meningioma; one patient was operated on and histology confirmed this diagnosis. No evidence of abnormal uptake was seen in site previously operated on (3 patients).


CONCLUSIONS
Octreotide scintigraphy is a very sensitive method for detection of paraganglioma of head and neck. It provides information on potential tumor sites in the whole body after one single injection. It could be used as a screening test in patients at risk (familial or known paraganglioma) in order to detect paraganglioma at an early stage and, thus to reduce the surgical morbidity, as well as in the follow-up after surgery to detect recurrences.
Duet
M
M
Service de Biophysique et de Médecine Nucléaire, Hôpital Lariboisière, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, 75010, Paris.
Sauvaget
E
E
Guichard
J-P
JP
Petelle
B
B
Ledjedel
S
S
Herman
Ph
P
Tran Ba Huy
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010235:Paraganglioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; D013004:Somatostatin; C081788:pentetreotide