[3D SPECT reconstruction - a diagnostic method in oral and maxillofacial surgery].

Computer-aided three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of conventional (99m)Tc-DPD SPECT data was used for basic investigations of different disease entities of the orofacial area, with the aim of improving primary diagnosis and, in selected cases such as microvascular bone reconstruction, for a more comprehensive control after therapy. So far, the new 3D technique has been applied in 49 patients with different indications based on commonly acquired sets of data without any further hazard for the patients. In comparison to conventional planar scintigrams, the advantage of this sophisticated technique is a higher image contrast and a clear-cut signal of the investigated bone areas without any superimposing effects. Therefore, the anatomical description of the process is better, which is particularly important in cases of osteomyelitis and after microvascular reconstruction of skull bone defects. In addition, the follow-up investigations can assess treatment results far better and outcome predictions are much more reliable. A higher sensitivity and specificity in cases of squamous cell carcinoma as regards bone infiltration could not be achieved so far. In summary, computer-aided 3D reconstruction of conventionally acquired (99m)Tc-DPD-SPECT data represents a significant improvement in radionuclide imaging technique, providing a much better diagnostic interpretation of selected disease entities in the oral and maxillofacial area.