Importance of Sonoelastography in Assessing Non-Thyroid Neck Masses.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility and value of sonoelastography in assessing non-thyroid neck masses.

METHODS

Non-thyroid neck masses requiring surgical interventions were evaluated using conventional B-mode ultrasonography (US) (size, short/long axis rate, shape, hilum, echogenity, calcification, necrosis, and peripheral edema) and sonoelastograpy (SE) with strain ratio (SR) and elasticity score (ES) before surgery. These parameters were compared with the histopathological examination.

RESULTS

In total, 116 non-thyroid neck masses (66 lymph node, 35 parotid gland, eight submandibular gland, and seven cervical mass) of 89 patients (51 men, 38 women) with a mean age of 50.3±15.1 (19-79) years were evaluated. Thirty-seven malignant lymph nodes (23 metastatic and 14 lymphoma), seven malignant parotid tumors, two malignant submandibular tumors, 29 benign lymph nodes, 28 benign parotid lesions, and six benign submandibular lesions were evaluated. Mean SR and ES values of malignant masses were 6.3/3.2 for lymph nodes, 5.5/3.3 for the parotid gland, and 4.2/3 for the submandibular gland. Mean SR and ES values of benign lesions were 2.0/2.1 for lymph nodes, 4.4/3.2 for the parotid gland, and 3.2/3 for the submandibular gland. SR and ES were significantly higher for malignant masses compared with those for benign ones. SR was more predictive than ES in evaluating malignant lymph nodes. The area under the curve was 0.917(0.827-1.00) (p<0.05) for SR in differentiating benign-malignant lymph nodes, and the upper cut-off value was two. SR and ES were higher in the malign parotid and submandibular gland lesions than the benign ones, but the difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Strain ratio value could be a useful parameter in differentiating benign-malignant lymph nodes. More studies are necessary for differentiating benign-malignant parotid and submandibular lesions using SE.