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Updated: Jun 22, 2025
High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes
Published on: July 25, 2015
Ultrasonographic diagnosis of cervical lymph nodes
Daisuke Saito1,2, Kiyoto Shiga3
1Saito Otolaryngology Clinic, Morioka, Japan. daidaisuke0214@hotmail.com.
Insights
Ultrasonography helps differentiate between inflammatory and malignant cervical lymphadenopathy. Key indicators include fatty hilum (FH) presence, blood flow patterns, and structural changes within lymph nodes.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cervical lymphadenopathy is a common clinical presentation.
- Differentiating inflammatory from malignant causes is crucial for patient management.
- Ultrasonography offers a non-invasive imaging modality for lymph node assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the utility of ultrasonography in evaluating cervical lymphadenopathy.
- To detail ultrasonographic features distinguishing benign from malignant lymph nodes.
- To emphasize diagnostic criteria for lymph node metastasis.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasonographic examination of cervical lymph nodes.
- Assessment of lymph node echogenicity, borders, and hilum characteristics.
- Color Doppler imaging to evaluate intranodal blood flow patterns.
Main Results:
- Normal lymph nodes exhibit a hypoechogenic appearance with a well-defined border and a hyperechogenic fatty hilum (FH).
- Malignant lymph nodes show structural distortion, loss of FH, and altered blood flow.
- Ultrasonography can detect features like cyst formation and uneven blood flow indicative of metastasis.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasonography is a valuable tool for differentiating cervical lymphadenopathy causes.
- Specific ultrasonographic findings, including FH status and vascularity, aid in diagnosing lymph node metastasis.
- Distinguishing between inflammatory lymphadenopathy, malignant lymphoma, and metastatic cancer is essential.
Abstract:
Many patients visit outpatient clinics suffering from cervical lymphadenopathy. For those patients, ultrasonography is useful in differentiating inflammatory diseases and malignant tumors. On ultrasonographic images, normal lymph nodes are indicated as hypoechogenic masses with a well-defined border. The medullary portion near the lymph node hilum is hyperechogenic, so-called fatty hilum (FH). Color Doppler imaging reveals that blood flows from the lymph node hilum to FH. In lymph node metastasis, a metastatic focus grows within lymph nodes, which displaces and destroys the structure of normal lymph nodes. Ultrasonography can be used to detect FH, disappearance and unevenness of blood flow within lymph nodes, cyst formation, and so on. It is important to closely observe the inside of lymph nodes and make a diagnosis via ultrasonography, based on the criteria for diagnosing lymph node metastasis from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Additionally, it is also necessary to distinguish among inflammatory lymphadenopathy and malignant lymphoma.
