DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMANCE OF SONOGRAPHY AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR LYMPH NODE METASTASIS IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK MALIGNANCY

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONThe majority of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC ) is locoregional in nature. Regional metastasis (N+) presence is critical for management, staging and prognosis. Early stage (I) head and neck tumors can be transformed to stage (III) or even stage (IV) if there is a single lymph node metastasis. Cervical lymph nodes metastasis can decrease the survival rate up to 50 %.Laboratory data and clinical examinations are unspecific and do not give satisfactory results in detecting lymph adenopathy. Modern imaging modalities such as ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) allow reliable detection of cervical lymph nodes.According to recent studies, a sizable fraction of occult metastases are too little to raise suspicion using any of the imaging methods that are currently available. Pathological examination of the contents following neck dissection is the most precise method for staging the N0 neck in HNSCC.AIM OF THE WORKThe aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic efficacy of sonography and computed tomography for diagnosing cervical lymph node metastasis among patients with head and neck malignancy in correlation to pathological results of neck dissection specimens.