Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2026
High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes
Published on: July 25, 2015
A paired comparative analysis of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and core-needle biopsy in malignant lymph
Qinxian Zhao1, Zhonghua Yue, Fengyi Yu
1Department of Special Inspection, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China.
Purpose:
This study aimed to compare the diagnostic sensitivity of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), core-needle biopsy (CNB), and their combination in malignant superficial lymph nodes while identifying key influencing factors.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 390 patients with malignant superficial lymph nodes undergoing simultaneous FNAB and CNB were included in this retrospective study. Sensitivity and false-negative rates were calculated for each method. McNemar's test was used for pairwise comparisons, and factors associated with false-negative results were analyzed via logistic regression.
Results:
The overall sensitivity reached 89.23% for FNAB, 96.92% for CNB, and 97.44% for the combined approach. In particular, CNB showed significantly higher sensitivity than FNAB, especially in lymphoma (100% versus 51.52%) and lymph nodes >3 cm (98.46% versus 86.15%). By contrast, the combined strategy showed only a marginal increase in sensitivity (+0.52%). McNemar's test revealed 32 FNAB false negatives versus two CNB false negatives ( P < 0.001). The longitudinal-to-transverse diameter ratio was an independent predictor of false negatives for both methods (FNAB: OR 0.26, P < 0.01; CNB: OR 0.21, P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
CNB exhibits superior sensitivity over FNAB for malignant lymphadenopathy. On the contrary, the combined approach adds minimal benefit (+0.52%), and it is not justified for routine use. Thus, CNB should be the preferred first-line biopsy method.
