Utility of color Doppler ultrasound in evaluating the status of cervical lymph nodes in oral cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to study the utility of color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS) in diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy in oral cancer patients.


METHODS
In a prospective study, 70 cervical lymph nodes in 30 known primary oral cancer patients were evaluated with CDUS during a period of 8 months. The intranodal perfusion sites and vascular resistance were the key CDUS features used to differentiate between reactive and metastatic cervical lymph nodes. Histopathologic confirmations were obtained by excisional biopsy of the lymph nodes. The results of preoperative clinical palpation of cervical lymph nodes and CDUS evaluation were compared with histopathologic outcome.


RESULTS
Clinical evaluation suspected 61 cervical lymph nodes to be malignant. According to the CDUS, out of 70 nodes, 49 lymph nodes showed features of benign lymphadenopathy and 21 lymph nodes showed features of malignant lymphadenopathy, whereas histopathologic evaluations were in favor of reactive for 57 (81.42%) and for malignant lymphadenopathy in 13 (18.57%).


CONCLUSIONS
The CDUS evaluation was found to be highly significant with a sensitivity of 92.90% and a specificity of 84.21%, after comparing the CDUS findings with histopathologic findings.
Dangore-Khasbage
Suwarna
S
Sharad Pawar Dental College and Hospital, Wardha, India. dangore_suwarna@rediffmail.com
Degwekar
Shirish S
SS
Bhowate
Rahul R
RR
Banode
Pankaj J
PJ
Bhake
Arvind
A
Choudhary
Minal S
MS
Lohe
Vidya K
VK
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009333:Neck; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color