[Ultrasound diagnosis of regional lymph node metastasis of the neck in patients with head-neck neoplasms: sono-morphologic criteria and diagnostic accuracy].

High resolution sonography is generally considered a diagnostic tool with high sensitivity but low specificity in the assessment of cervical lymph node metastases. This study shows, that excellent sonographic results regarding sensitivity and specificity can be achieved, if sonomorphologic parameters, such as size, shape, delineation and type of echo pattern are included in the evaluation. We compared sonomorphology and histology of 82 patients operated for head and neck malignancies. The sonomorphological and histological findings in the largest lymph nodes in all neck areas were compared, and if a definite identification was possible, also in the second largest ones. Virtually, all longitudinal nodes of any size and practically all oval nodes of an axial diameter of up to 20 mm were found to be free of metastases, whereas 80% of round nodes with an axial diameter of up to 20 mm and practically all round and oval nodes exceeding 20 mm in axial diameter as well as irregularly shaped, poorly delineated and structurally inhomogeneous nodes demonstrated metastatic disease. On the basis of these results we have established the following criteria for the assessment of cervical lymph node metastases: All findings demonstrating longitudinal nodes of any size and oval nodes less than 20 mm in axial diameter are to be considered sonographically negative, whereas findings in which oval nodes exceeding 20 mm in axial diameter, as well as round, irregularly shaped, poorly delineated or inhomogeneous lymph nodes are found to be classified malignant. Of 58 sonographically positive neck areas, 54 were found to be malignant on histological examination, while 23 of 24 sonographically negative areas corresponded with histologically benign findings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)