Value of CT Thallium-201 SPECT Fusion Imaging over SPECT Alone for Detection and Localization of Nasopharyngeal and Maxillary Cancers

Abstract

High-resolution thallium-201 (201Tl) SPECT has a very high detection rate in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer and cancers around the maxilla. However, the anatomic identification or localization of the uptake sites is sometimes difficult without CT/SPECT fusion imaging. This technique without external markers is practically feasible to generate clinically valid fusion images.

Detection of Perineural Tumor Invasion of the Head and Neck

“…The count ratio between the former lesion and normal brain was 4.1 (B). SPECT/CT image fusion technique was reported previously 1. Fusion images showed precise location of the abnormal uptake sites (C and D, arrows).…”

Acquisition Parameters for Oncologic Imaging with a New SPECT/Multislice CT Scanner

“…A prospective study by Franzius et al evaluated the clinical use of 123 I-MIBG SPECT/CT in 19 patients with a variety of tumors of the sympathetic nervous system, including neuroblastoma and pheochromocytoma [45]. 123 I-MIBG SPECT/CT had a sensitivity of 93%, similar to that achieved by PET/CT with 11 C-hydroxyephedrine as a tracer (99%). Although PET/CT had a higher spatial resolution and was carried out in 30 min, compared to up to 24 h for 123 I-MIBG, no significant imaging superiority of PET/CT over SPECT/CT was observed.…”

“…Oncologic imaging constitutes nowadays one of the major areas of medical imaging in general and of nuclear medicine in particular. SPECT and more recently SPECT/CT have proven to increase the diagnostic value of conventional scintigraphy [9][10][11][12]. However, as a consequence, state-of-the-art scintigraphy has become a more sophisticated and complex imaging procedure.…”

Behaviors of cost functions in image registration between 201Tl brain tumor single-photon emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance images

“…The 201 Tl SPECT images, however, lack morphological information, leading to its use in combination with other reference images of other modalities with morphological information, i.e., computed tomography (CT) and MR. Registration of 201 Tl 1 3 SPECT and these morphological images [5] and preparation of fusion images [6][7][8][9] are clinically useful because these procedures can accurately identify the position of brain tumors and nasopharyngeal and maxillary cancers. An attempt has been made to register between early and delayed images of 201 Tl SPECT to calculate the retention index that is reproducible [10].…”

“…For 201 Tl SPECT images lacking morphological information and MR and CT images including such information, study results have been reported regarding algorithms of automated image registration using surface models of the head [6] and the above-mentioned ARTbased models [8,9].…”