POSTTREATMENT CT IMAGING FOR PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Abstract

Physical examinations including inspection, palpation and endoscopy may not give us sufficient information about the neck because of its deformity and scarring induced by surgery and/or radiation.
Review of CT images of 46 postoperative/postirradiation patients has afforded a new radiographic perspective. Subjects included are 29 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, 12 with laryngeal cancer and 5 with other head and neck cancers.
The effects of surgery and radiation such as edema and/or fibrosis of preepiglottic space and aryepiglottic fold on each patient were observed for a long period at least 6 months on the CT images. A reconstructed neopharynx (composed of a skin tube with subcutaneous fat) could clearly be differentiated from surrounding tissues by its low density on the CT image. Recurrences were easily found out by obtaining a follow-up CT. Nodal metastasis, local recurrences or extended invasions incidentally found by CTs in posttreatment patients may help indicate how to manage them.
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the versatility of posttreatment CT imagings and to recommend the use of follw-up CTs.