Scintigraphic method to detect silent aspiration during sleep in postsurgical patients with oral cancer.

Abstract

A simple method to detect silent aspiration during sleep has not been established in postsurgical oral cancer patients. Radioactive paste consisting of (99m)TcO(4) (-) and carboxylmethylcellulose was prepared and placed in a maxillary prosthesis with a cavity in the palatal space. The patient was requested to wear this appliance during sleep, and the following morning the patient was subjected to scintigraphic scanning. Both the anterior and posterior aspects of the thorax were scanned using a Shimazu Medical gamma camera with window settings adjusted to a low energy collimator at 500 kilocounts per image. Silent aspiration that had not been detected by videofluoroscopic examination was clearly demonstrated by the scintigraphic method, showing aspiration of radioactive paste during sleep in the left thorax of the patient. The method reported for establishing aspiration is simple and reliable to assess silent aspiration during sleep in patients with oral cancer.