Is Computed Tomography Perfusion a useful Method for Distinguishing between Benign and Malignant Neck Masses?

Abstract

Evaluation of neck masses is frequent in ear, nose, and throat clinics. Successful outcomes associated with neck mass are directly related to rapid diagnosis and accurate treatment for each patient. Late diagnosis of a malignant mass increases the magnitude of morbidity and the rate of mortality of the disease. Although magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (CT) examinations are important tools for evaluating head and neck pathologies, they do not allow functional evaluation. For this reason, CT perfusion (CTP) as a method of functional evaluation for distinguishing benign from malignant masses is gaining attention. The utility of CTP for distinguishing between benign and malignant mass lesions was investigated in 35 patients with masses in the neck (11 benign, 24 malignant). CTP was shown to be a useful method for identifying head and neck tumors and blood volume values to enable the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant head and neck tumors.