Background:
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F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (
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F-FDG) accumulations are commonly seen in the neck-related muscles of the surgical and non-surgical sides after surgery with neck dissection (ND) for oral cancers, which leads
to radiologists having difficulty in diagnosing the lesions. To examine the alterations in
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F-FDG accumulation in
neck-related muscles of patients after ND for oral cancer.
Material and Methods:
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F-FDG accumulations on positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography
(CT) in neck-related muscles were retrospectively analyzed after surgical dissection of cervical lymph nodes in
oral cancers.
Results: According to the extent of ND of cervical lymph nodes, the rate of patients with
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F-FDG-PET-positive areas increased in the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and posterior neck muscles of the surgical and/or non-surgical
sides. In addition, SUVmax of
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F-FDG-PET-positive areas in the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles were
increased according to the extent of the ND.
Conclusions: In evaluating
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F-FDG accumulations after ND for oral cancers, we should pay attention to the
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F-FDG
distributions in neck-related muscles including the non-surgical side as false-positive finding
