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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
High-frequency Ultrasound Imaging of Mouse Cervical Lymph Nodes
Published on: July 25, 2015
Detection of normal mediastinal lymph nodes by ultrasonography
C F Dietrich1, M Liesen, R Buhl
1Department of Internal Medicine II, J. W. Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany.
Insights
High-resolution ultrasound (US) can detect normal mediastinal lymph nodes, challenging the notion that only pathological nodes are visible. This imaging technique offers a new perspective on mediastinal anatomy.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Anatomy
- Diagnostic Ultrasound
Background:
- Mediastinal lymph node detection via ultrasound (US) has historically been associated with pathological findings.
- Distinguishing normal from abnormal lymph nodes is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the capability of high-resolution mediastinal ultrasound to detect normal lymph nodes.
- To determine if ultrasound can visualize non-pathological lymph node structures in the mediastinum.
Main Methods:
- Ultrasound examinations were performed on 80 healthy volunteers and 20 human cadavers across six mediastinal regions.
- Color Doppler imaging was utilized to assess US accessibility and identify lymph nodes.
- Histological examination of lymph nodes from cadavers confirmed normality, excluding inflammatory or malignant infiltration.
Main Results:
- High US accessibility was achieved in supra-aortic, paratracheal, prevascular, pericardial regions, and the aorticopulmonary window.
- Normal lymph nodes were visualized in healthy subjects in the paratracheal (35%), aorticopulmonary window (45%), and subcarinal (13%) regions.
- In cadavers, normal lymph nodes were frequently detected in the paratracheal (85%) and aorticopulmonary window (90%) regions.
Conclusions:
- High-resolution mediastinal ultrasound is capable of demonstrating normal lymph nodes.
- This finding expands the diagnostic utility of ultrasound in evaluating the mediastinum beyond pathological conditions.
Purpose:
The detection by US (in contrast to CT) of lymph nodes of any size in the mediastinum is usually considered to be a pathological finding. The aim of this study was to find out whether it was possible to detect normal lymph nodes by high-resolution mediastinal US.
Material And Methods:
Six different mediastinal regions in 80 healthy asymptomatic volunteers and in 20 human cadavers were examined by means of US (with colour Doppler imaging) to assess US access to the respective regions and to demonstrate the number and size of detectable lymph nodes. All the cadaveric lymph nodes that were detected were examined histologically to exclude inflammatory or malignant infiltration.
Results:
In almost all subjects, we obtained US access to the supra-aortic (100%), paratracheal (95%), prevascular (99%), and pericardial (98%) regions, and to the aorticopulmonary window (98%). US access to the subcarinal region was more difficult (75%). In the healthy subjects, lymph nodes were detected in the paratracheal region (in 35% of these subjects, mean lymph-node diameter 12 x 7 mm), in the aorticopulmonary window (45%, 14 x 8 mm), and in the subcarinal region (13%, 13 x 7 mm). In the cadavers, histologically normal lymph nodes were detected frequently in the paratracheal region (85%, mean size 11 x 6 mm) and in the aorticopulmonary window (90%, 11 x 5 mm).
Conclusion:
These results indicate that normal lymph nodes (and not only pathological lymph nodes) can be demonstrated by high-resolution mediastinal US.
