Scintimammography with a hybrid SPECT/CT imaging system.
BACKGROUND
Planar scintimammography is useful for characterizing breast lesions >10 mm. Our aim was to evaluate Tc-99m sestamibi scintimammography with a hybrid (SPECTICT) device for functional anatomical mapping (FAM).


METHODS
Three planar images and a chest SPECT/CT were performed with a hybrid device in 53 patients with mammographically suspicious lesions. The final histopathological diagnosis was obtained after surgery.


RESULTS
The planar images were positive in 27 out of 37 carcinomas (sensitivity 73%) and the SPECT/CT in 33 (sensitivity 89.2%). The sensitivity of planar imaging and SPECT/CT was 42.9% and 71.4% in cancers < or =10 mm, and 91.3%, and 100% in cancers >10 mm, respectively. The specificity was 93.8% for both planar and SPECT/CT imaging; accuracy was 79.2% for planar scans and 90.6% for SPECT/CT. FAM was useful in providing a precise anatomical localisation of the SPECT findings.


CONCLUSIONS
SPECT/CT scintimammography using a hybrid device is able to detect breast cancer, showing a sensitivity higher than that of planar images, especially for small cancers.
Schillaci
Orazio
O
Department of Biopathology and Diagnostic Imaging, University Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. oschil@tiscali.it
Danieli
Roberta
R
Filippi
Luca
L
Romano
Pasquale
P
Cossu
Elsa
E
Manni
Carlo
C
Simonetti
Giovanni
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*
D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi