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Updated: Dec 30, 2025
High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes
Published on: July 25, 2015
Differentiation of benign from malignant cervical lymphadenopathy by ultrasonography in children
Ömer Kartal1, Erman Ataş2, Orhan Gürsel2
1Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Ankara, Turkey. dr.omerkartal@hotmail.com.
Insights
Ultrasonography (USG) findings can help differentiate benign from malignant cervical lymphadenopathy (LAP) in children. Nodal hilus and intranodal vascular patterns on USG correlate with histopathological diagnoses, aiding in distinguishing between reactive and neoplastic conditions.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Pediatric Pathology
- Oncology
Background:
- Cervical lymphadenopathy (LAP) is common in children, with most cases being reactive or inflammatory.
- Malignancy is a less frequent cause of cervical LAP but requires timely diagnosis.
- Ultrasonography (USG) is a primary imaging modality for evaluating cervical LAP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between ultrasonography (USG) findings and histopathological diagnoses in pediatric cervical lymphadenopathy.
- To determine if specific USG features can predict malignancy in pediatric cervical LAP.
- To enhance the diagnostic accuracy of differentiating benign from malignant cervical LAP in young patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 107 pediatric patients (<20 years) with persistent cervical LAP was conducted.
- Patients were categorized into benign and malignant groups based on histopathology.
- USG findings, including vascular patterns and dimensions, were compared between the groups.
Main Results:
- Hilar vascularity was a significant indicator of benign LAP (P < 0.0001).
- Peripheral and mixed vascularity patterns were significantly associated with malignant LAP (p < 0.05).
- While maximum diameter showed no significant difference, minimum diameter was significantly larger in the malignant group.
Conclusions:
- USG findings, particularly nodal hilus and intranodal vascular patterns, show a significant relationship with histopathological diagnoses.
- These USG features can aid in differentiating benign from malignant cervical lymphadenopathy in pediatric patients.
- Integrating USG findings with histopathology improves diagnostic precision for cervical LAP in children.
Introduction:
The most common causes of cervical lymphadenopathy (LAP) are inflammatory and reactive conditions; only a small proportion have serious pathology, such as malignancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between USG findings and histopathological diagnosis of the cervical LAP.
Population And Methods:
This retrospective study comprised the cases of cervical LAP in patients aged under 20 years old followed in our center between January 2007 to December 2016. Based on pathology reports, we divided the patients into two groups: benign and malignant. Pathology results and USG findings were compared.
Results:
After the analyze of the histopathological results and USG findings, 107 patients with persistent cervical LAP (44 malignant; 63 benign) were included in the study. Mean age of malignant and benign group were 14 ± 6.1; 11.9 ± 4.8 years, respectively. Hilar vascularity for benign LAP was highly statistically significant (P < 0.0001) and peripheral flow and mixed vascularity for malignant LAP were also statistically significant (p < 0.05). There was not a significant difference in the maximum diameter (27.3 ± 11.1 mm and 29.8 ± 12.3 mm, respectively), however, there was a significant difference in the minimum diameter between benign and malignant groups (13.7 ± 7.3 mm and 18.7 ± 8.8 mm, respectively).
Conclusions:
The present study suggests that there is a relationship between US and biopsy findings for the differentiation of benign from malignant LAP, especially in terms of nodal hilus and intranodal vascular pattern.
