How to interpret the lymph node ultrasound appearance?

Lymph node is a very common disease in life. There are many causes of lymphadenitis, such as inflammatory stimulation, infection, etc. Lymph node inflammation needs active treatment. Lymph node may not seem to be a serious disease, but it is very harmful to human health, especially chronic lymphadenitis, which takes a long time to treat. In general, how to check the ultrasound performance of lymph nodes?

How to interpret lymph node ultrasound?

1. Size

It is generally believed that malignant lymph nodes will be larger. For example, lymphoma or metastatic cancer may appear as a large neck mass. However, inflammatory and reactive lymph nodes may also be enlarged. On the contrary, some lymph node metastases are very small in the early stages. So, size is not an issue.

Second, the form

Compared to size, shape is more important. Normal and benign lymph nodes are generally long and oval in shape, that is, the ratio of the long diameter to the short diameter of the lymph node is greater than or equal to 2, such as a 15×6mm lymph node. Malignant or lymph node tuberculosis appears round, with the ratio of the long diameter to the short diameter less than 2, such as an 8×7mm lymph node.

3. Leather condition

An ultrasound feature of lymph node metastasis is asymmetric thickening of the cortex in the early stage, which develops into unclear boundaries between the cortex and medulla in the later stage.

4. Lymph node hilum status

The hilum is the site where blood vessels and lymphatic vessels enter and exit the lymph nodes. The hilum structure of normal lymph nodes can be seen on B-ultrasound, but the hilum of malignant lymph nodes often disappears on B-ultrasound due to tumor invasion.

5. Blood flow status

The blood flow in lymph nodes is generally portal blood flow in normal and benign lymph nodes, while malignant lymph nodes have peripheral or mixed blood flow.

VI. Summarize the Ultrasound Characteristics of Benign and Malignant Lymph Nodes

Benign lymph nodes appear oval on B-ultrasound, with a ratio of long diameter to short diameter greater than or equal to 2, a thin and uniform cortex, a lymph node hilum, and a gate-shaped blood flow. Malignant lymph nodes appear round on B-ultrasound, with a long-to-short-diameter ratio of less than 2, uneven cortical thickening, disappearance of the lymph node hilum, and peripheral or mixed blood flow.