2-Deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography of the head and neck: an atlas of normal uptake and variants.

In the evaluation of tumors of the head and neck region, positron emission tomography (PET) using 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) is increasingly playing a valuable clinical role. However, assessment of this region can be challenging because of the large number of structures in this area which may demonstrate physiologically increased uptake of FDG. Furthermore, these structures are generally small, and uptake patterns can be quite variable, rendering the head and neck region one of the most difficult areas of the body to assess with FDG-PET. To assist in this endeavor, a pictorial of normal FDG uptake, including commonly encountered variants, is presented.