title: MRI and neck metastases: a clinical, radiological, pathological correlative study.
abstract: In a previous report CT was shown to have no advantage over physical examination in the detection of metastatic neck disease. Therefore, a study was undertaken to evaluate whether MRI would show superiority to the CT in the diagnosis of neck nodes. A series of 35 patients with various head and neck tumors were evaluated clinically, radiographically and pathologically. Eight patients were excluded from the study because of various problems involving the MRI. Therefore, 27 patients with 30 neck dissections were analyzed. There was little advantage of MRI over clinical examination in the detection of metastatic neck disease. The present size criterion for the diagnosis of occult malignant nodes is not reliable. The soft tissue contrast resolution reported by MRI is inadequate to detect minimal morphological changes in lymph nodes involved by metastases, and MRI is difficult in patients who have airway or foodway obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feinmesser
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Noyek
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Birt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gullane
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Mullen
mesh_terms: D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies