Ultrasonic evaluation of cervical metastatic lymphadenopathy.
We investigated the location, size, and shape of cervical lymph nodes in head and neck cancer, using a 7.5-MHz ultrasound scanner. First, the different criteria for normal size were obtained for cervical lymph nodes in each region; lymph nodes greater than 9 mm in thickness in the internal jugular chain or greater than 7 mm in thickness in the submandibular and submental chains should be suspected of harboring metastatic foci. Second, metastatic nodes showed a more rounded configuration than nonmetastatic ones. Third, a comparative study of metastatic lymph nodes between the in vivo and in vitro ultrasonograms and the corresponding histopathological findings disclosed that an echogenic region in an ultrasonogram of a metastatic node was caused by coagulation necrosis, and a cystic area of liquefaction necrosis.
Sakai
F
F
Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan.
Kiyono
K
K
Sone
S
S
Kondo
Y
Y
Oguchi
M
M
Watanabe
T
T
Sakai
Y
Y
Imai
Y
Y
Takeda
S
S
Yamamoto
K
K
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000556:secondary; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D009333:Neck; D014463:Ultrasonography