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Pathological angioarchitecture in lymph nodes: underlying histopathologic findings
A Tschammler1, B Heuser, G Ott
1Department of Radiology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany. tschammler@roentgen.uni-wuerzburg.de
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
|October 29, 2000
Summary
Color Doppler sonography reveals pathologic changes in intranodal angioarchitecture to predict malignant lymph node infiltration. These sonographic findings correlate with specific histopathologic features common in cancerous lymph nodes.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Superficial lymph node assessment for malignancy is crucial.
- Intranodal angioarchitecture changes visualized by color Doppler sonography show promise in predicting malignant infiltration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To correlate sonographic findings of intranodal angioarchitecture with underlying histopathologic features in lymph nodes.
- To validate specific sonographic criteria for predicting malignancy.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 100 lymph nodes from 86 patients.
- Histopathologic evaluation of tumor infiltration, vessel distribution, hilar structures, capsule thickness, and tissue alterations (necrosis, sclerosis, lipo-/fibromatosis).
- Analysis of sonographic criteria: displacement, aberrant course, avascular foci, and subcapsular vessels using multivariate regression.
Main Results:
- Displacement of vessels correlated with perinodal tumor spread.
- Aberrant vessels correlated with intranodal sclerosis.
- Avascular foci correlated with intranodal necroses.
- Subcapsular vessels correlated with intranodal necroses.
Conclusions:
- Pathologic intranodal angioarchitecture identified by color Doppler sonography correlates with histopathologic findings indicative of malignant lymph nodes.
- Sonographic assessment of lymph node vascular patterns can aid in predicting malignancy.