Valuation of Color Doppler Ultrasonography in the diagnosis of superficial cervical lymph nodes

Objective: To evaluate the value of color dopper ultrasonography in differentiating malignant and benign superficial cervical lymph nodes.Methods:A total of 70 patients with superficial cervical nodes underwent high frequency ultrasonography.According to pathologic results from the surgery or fine needle biopsy guided with ultrasound,the patients were divided into two groups: Benign lymph nodes group and malignant lymph nodes group,and their ultrasonic features were analyzed.Results: Twenty-five nodes were ascribed as benign lymph nodes group,including reactive lymphadenitis(n =15),tuberculosis(n=10),and 45 nodes were in malignant lymph nodes group,including lymphoma(n =7) and metastasis(n =38).The vascular patterns of hilar type,central type,peripheral type,mixed type an no vascular type were assessed.Results: Of malignant lymph nodes group,88.9%(40/ 45) showed L/ S of 2,57.8% showed vague margin,91.1%(41/ 45) showed absence of hilar,comparing with the corresponding 20.0%,16.0%,and 16.0% of the benign lymph nodes group,there was significant differences(P0.05).Central type,peripheral type,mixed type an no vascular type blood flow distribution could be observed in 52.0%、20.0%、4.0%、20.0%、4.0% were of the benign lymph nodes group,while the corresponding data was 22.2%、33.3%、24.4%、13.3%、6.7% of the malignant lymph nodes group(P0.05).Conclusions:Color doppler flow imaging can be helpful to differentiate malignant and benign superficial cervical lymph nodes.