Db. Chang et al., DIFFERENTIATION OF BENIGN AND MALIGNANT CERVICAL LYMPH-NODES WITH COLOR DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY, American journal of roentgenology, 162(4), 1994, pp. 965-968
OBJECTIVE. This study proposed to evaluate the efficacy of color Doppl
er sonography in detecting possible differences in blood flow patterns
between malignant and benign cervical lymph nodes. SUBJECTS AND METHO
DS. During a period of 12 months, the palpable cervical lymph nodes of
48 untreated patients were prospectively evaluated with color Doppler
sonography and Doppler flow wave analysis. Histopathologic diagnoses
were obtained by sonographically guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy
and/or excisional biopsy. RESULTS. We found 16 benign lymph nodes (fou
r were tuberculous lymphadenitis, four were reactive hyperplasia, and
eight were unspecified) and 32 malignant lymph nodes (13 were squamous
cell carcinomas, nine were adenocarcinomas, four were small-cell carc
inomas, three were lymphomas, and three were miscellaneous). Color Dop
pler flow patterns were seen in six (38%) of the 16 benign lymph nodes
and in 29 (91%) of the 32 malignant lymph nodes. Twenty-six (81%) of
the 32 malignant lymph nodes had abnormal flow patterns, with resistan
ce indexes less than 0.6. However, three (19%) of the 16 benign lymph
nodes also had abnormal flow patterns, and only seven (54%) of 13 squa
mous cell carcinomas had abnormal flow patterns. CONCLUSION. Color Dop
pler sonography has limited clinical value in differentiating malignan
t from benign cervical lymph nodes and in obviating biopsy.