Cervical lymph node characterization using point shear wave elastography in pediatric patients: initial experience.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound
• Biophysics

Background:

• Sonoelastography, or elastography, is a noninvasive ultrasound technique measuring tissue stiffness via shear wave velocity.
• Malignant lesions are typically stiffer than healthy tissues due to increased cell density, making elastography a valuable diagnostic tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of elastography in distinguishing between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of pediatric patients over 2.5 years undergoing B-mode, color Doppler, and point shear wave elastography (pSWE) of cervical lymph nodes.
• Patients were categorized into control, reactive lymph node, and malignant lymph node groups.
• Histological examination confirmed malignancy, and mean shear wave velocity was compared across groups.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in elastography measurements were observed between control and malignant lymph nodes (P<0.0001).
• Significant differences were also found between reactive and malignant lymph nodes (P<0.0001).
• Malignant lymph nodes exhibited higher mean shear wave velocity values compared to both control and reactive nodes.

Conclusions:

• Point shear wave elastography (pSWE) is a valuable tool for assessing cervical lymph node stiffness.
• pSWE demonstrates significant potential in differentiating benign/reactive from malignant cervical lymph nodes.