Pj. Makela et al., PRETREATMENT SONOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF INGUINAL LYMPH-NODES IN PATIENTS WITH VULVAR MALIGNANCY, Journal of ultrasound in medicine, 12(5), 1993, pp. 255-258
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Acoustics,"Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
The state of the inguinal nodes is a major prognostic factor in vulvar
carcinoma. Because of new surgical trends with selective inguinal lym
phadenectomy, the preoperative evaluation of inguinal lymph nodes is e
ssential for adequate treatment of vulvar carcinoma. To evaluate the a
dequacy of clinical examination and high-frequency transducer sonograp
hy in detecting metastatic inguinal lymph nodes, we studied 25 patient
s with vulvar malignancy who underwent operation. Histopathologically
proved lymph node metastases were found in 11 (22%) of 50 inguinal are
as studied. All of the suspected metastases were in patients with stag
e III-IV disease. The inguinal lymph node metastases were found by son
ography in nine (82%), by preoperative palpation in one (9%), and by o
perative palpation in six (55%) of 11 areas. The difference between so
nography and palpation was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The s
ensitivity and specificity were 82% and 87% for sonography, 9% and 100
% for preoperative palpation, and 55% and 90% for operative palpation.