Imaging of axillary lymph nodes. 2000

A Lernevall
Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Arhus, Denmark. anders.lernevall@aas.auh.dk

There is increasing interest in the radiological diagnosis of axillary lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer, especially in the preoperative diagnosis of metastatic nodes. Both CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) are cross-sectional imaging methods that produce high-quality images of the axilla. MRI also uses contrast enhancement profile, for example in imaging of breast lesions. Few studies have been published on this subject, but the latest have shown high sensitivity and specificity (CT 93.8 and 82.1%, respectively; MRI 90 and 82%, respectively), although, both CT and MRI are restricted to imaging only. US (ultrasound) is widely spread and is fast and accurate with high resolution. Sensitivity and specificity vary (68.2-92% and 90-100%, respectively). Most importantly, there is the possibility of US-guided FNAB (fine-needle aspiration biopsy) of pathological nodes, which increases the specificity. Initial results with colour Doppler are promising, but a recent study has shown that the presence of colour Doppler flow signal is highly non-specific. Other parameters such as flow pattern and distribution may prove to be of value in this method. Today, the method of choice for the daily routine is US in conjunction with FNAB.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008198 Lymph Nodes They are oval or bean shaped bodies (1 - 30 mm in diameter) located along the lymphatic system. Lymph Node,Node, Lymph,Nodes, Lymph
D008207 Lymphatic Metastasis Transfer of a neoplasm from its primary site to lymph nodes or to distant parts of the body by way of the lymphatic system. Lymph Node Metastasis,Lymph Node Metastases,Lymphatic Metastases,Metastasis, Lymph Node
D008279 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Non-invasive method of demonstrating internal anatomy based on the principle that atomic nuclei in a strong magnetic field absorb pulses of radiofrequency energy and emit them as radiowaves which can be reconstructed into computerized images. The concept includes proton spin tomographic techniques. Chemical Shift Imaging,MR Tomography,MRI Scans,MRI, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Image,Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional,Magnetization Transfer Contrast Imaging,NMR Imaging,NMR Tomography,Tomography, NMR,Tomography, Proton Spin,fMRI,Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,Imaging, Chemical Shift,Proton Spin Tomography,Spin Echo Imaging,Steady-State Free Precession MRI,Tomography, MR,Zeugmatography,Chemical Shift Imagings,Echo Imaging, Spin,Echo Imagings, Spin,Functional MRI,Functional MRIs,Image, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, Magnetic Resonance,Imaging, NMR,Imaging, Spin Echo,Imagings, Chemical Shift,Imagings, Spin Echo,MRI Scan,MRIs, Functional,Magnetic Resonance Images,Resonance Image, Magnetic,Scan, MRI,Scans, MRI,Shift Imaging, Chemical,Shift Imagings, Chemical,Spin Echo Imagings,Steady State Free Precession MRI
D001943 Breast Neoplasms Tumors or cancer of the human BREAST. Breast Cancer,Breast Tumors,Cancer of Breast,Breast Carcinoma,Cancer of the Breast,Human Mammary Carcinoma,Malignant Neoplasm of Breast,Malignant Tumor of Breast,Mammary Cancer,Mammary Carcinoma, Human,Mammary Neoplasm, Human,Mammary Neoplasms, Human,Neoplasms, Breast,Tumors, Breast,Breast Carcinomas,Breast Malignant Neoplasm,Breast Malignant Neoplasms,Breast Malignant Tumor,Breast Malignant Tumors,Breast Neoplasm,Breast Tumor,Cancer, Breast,Cancer, Mammary,Cancers, Mammary,Carcinoma, Breast,Carcinoma, Human Mammary,Carcinomas, Breast,Carcinomas, Human Mammary,Human Mammary Carcinomas,Human Mammary Neoplasm,Human Mammary Neoplasms,Mammary Cancers,Mammary Carcinomas, Human,Neoplasm, Breast,Neoplasm, Human Mammary,Neoplasms, Human Mammary,Tumor, Breast
D003937 Diagnosis, Differential Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures. Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001365 Axilla Area of the human body underneath the SHOULDER JOINT, also known as the armpit or underarm. Armpit,Underarm
D001706 Biopsy Removal and pathologic examination of specimens from the living body. Biopsies
D012680 Sensitivity and Specificity Binary classification measures to assess test results. Sensitivity or recall rate is the proportion of true positives. Specificity is the probability of correctly determining the absence of a condition. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) Specificity,Sensitivity,Specificity and Sensitivity

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