TY - JOUR T1 - Qualitative and Quantitative Performance of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG-PET/MRI versus <sup>18</sup>F-FDG-PET/CT in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer JF - American Journal of Neuroradiology JO - Am. J. Neuroradiol. SP - 1970 LP - 1975 DO - 10.3174/ajnr.A3993 VL - 35 IS - 10 AU - S. Partovi AU - A. Kohan AU - J.L. Vercher-Conejero AU - C. Rubbert AU - S. Margevicius AU - M.D. Schluchter AU - C. Gaeta AU - P. Faulhaber AU - M.R. Robbin Y1 - 2014/10/01 UR - http://www.ajnr.org/content/35/10/1970.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging and PET/CT are integrated in the work-up of head and neck cancer patients. The hybrid imaging technology 18F-FDG-PET/MR imaging combining morphological and functional information might be attractive in this patient population. The aim of the study was to compare whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/MR imaging and 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with head and neck cancer, both qualitatively in terms of lymph node and distant metastases detection and quantitatively in terms of standardized uptake values measured in 18F-FDG-avid lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with head and neck cancer underwent both whole-body PET/CT and PET/MR imaging after a single injection of 18F-FDG. Two groups of readers counted the number of lesions on PET/CT and PET/MR imaging scans. A consensus reading was performed in those cases in which the groups disagreed. Quantitative standardized uptake value measurements were performed by placing spheric ROIs over the lesions in 3 different planes. Weighted and unweighted κ statistics, correlation analysis, and the Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: κ statistics for the number of head and neck lesion lesions counted (pooled across regions) revealed interreader agreement between groups 1 and 2 of 0.47 and 0.56, respectively. Intrareader agreement was 0.67 and 0.63. The consensus reading provided an intrareader agreement of 0.63. For the presence or absence of metastasis, interreader agreement was 0.85 and 0.70. The consensus reading provided an intrareader agreement of 0.72. The correlations between the maximum standardized uptake value in 18F-FDG-PET/MR imaging and 18F-FDG-PET/CT for primary tumors and lymph node and metastatic lesions were very high (Spearman r = 1.00, 0.93, and 0.92, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with head and neck cancer, 18F-FDG-PET/MR imaging and 18F-FDG-PET/CT provide comparable results in the detection of lymph node and distant metastases. Standardized uptake values derived from 18F-FDG-PET/MR imaging can be used reliably in this patient population. SUVstandardized uptake valueSUVmaxmaximum standardized uptake value ER -