The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of 2-deoxy-2-[
18F] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (
18FDG-PET) for monitoring blood perfusion to grafted bone after reconstructive surgery using vascularized bone grafts. Seven patients who received vascularized bone grafts to the mandible after cancer surgery were studied. Three patients received vascularized iliac crest, two patients iliac osteocutaneous flaps, and two patients scapular and latissimus doris combined flaps. The grafts were evaluated by
18FDG-PET 2 days after grafting. In all patients, blood perfusion to the graft bone could be evaluated by
18FDG-PET studies. In six patients with uneventful healing of their vascularized bone grafts,
18FDG-PET studies showed a significantly increased uptake of
18FDG in the grafted bone. In one patient with graft failure, there was no uptake region in the grafted bone. These results suggest that
18FDG-PET studies are very useful for monitoring blood perfusion to vascularized graft bones after surgery.
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