A comparative study of gallium-67 scintigraphy and computerized tomography in the diagnosis of head and neck tumors

Purpose: To compare the effects of gallium-67 (Ga-67) scintigraphy with computerized tomography (CT) scanning in the diagnosis of head and neck neoplasm. Materials and Methods: Eighty-three patients with neoplasm in head and neck underwent local CT scanning and Ga-67 scintigraphy preoperatively. The results were verified pathologically after operation. Results: In total 43 cases of benign neoplasm according to pathological examination, 21 cases (42.5%) were identified using CT preoperatively, 36 cases (83.7%) were identified using Ga-67 scintigraphy. Significant difference can be found between Ga-67 scintigraphy and CT scanning in identifying the behavioral classification of tumors. The remaining 40 cases were malignant neoplasm, and 17 cases (42.5%) were identified or suspected to be malignant using CT scanning, while 37 cases (92.5%) were identified using Ga-67 scintigraphy. There was still significant difference between these two methods. Conclusion: CT shows advantages in identification of tumor size, location, internal structure, and syntopy, while Ga-67 scintigraphy has advantages in identification of behavioral classification and metastasis of tumors. (Int Chin J Dent 2004; 4: 34-39.)