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Neck lymph node ultrasound
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
Where can you do an ultrasound of the lymph nodes, how is the study performed and whether special preparation is needed, we will consider these issues. Pathologies of the lymphatic system are non-specific, therefore they require special diagnostic methods.
The lymph nodes of the neck are located superficially, and therefore they can be visualized using a high-frequency (5-10 MHz) linear sensor. The availability of the lymph nodes of the neck for detailed examination expands the range of diagnostically significant criteria compared to ultrasound examination of the lymph nodes of the abdominal cavity. The presence of metastases in the lymph nodes in patients with tumors of the head and neck is an unfavorable prognostic factor, and the stage of the pathological process with damage to the lymph nodes significantly affects the choice of treatment. Tumors of the thoracic cavity can also metastasize to the cervical lymph nodes, which often affects staging. Staging of malignant lymphoma includes all localizations of the lymph nodes, including those in the neck.
Thyroid disease is common in geographic endemic areas with iodine deficiency. Ultrasound is the primary method of examination of patients with suspected thyroid disease. In endemic toxic goiter, the thyroid gland is enlarged but retains normal echogenicity and color duplex pattern. In patients with newly diagnosed Graves' disease, the main clinical symptom is hyperthyroidism. Diffuse decrease in thyroid echogenicity is so typical that B-mode scanning already allows an accurate diagnosis. Color duplex sonography reveals hypervascularity sufficient to confirm Graves' disease. The ultrasound picture of thyroiditis is less specific. Areas of inflammatory infiltration appear hypoechoic with a central or peripheral hypervascular pattern, but these changes are less pronounced than in Graves' disease. Any focal formation of the thyroid gland should be considered as a possible adenoma or malignancy. At present, color duplex sonography cannot provide accurate criteria for functional assessment or differential diagnosis between benign and malignant pathology when detecting a nodule in the thyroid gland.
Lymph nodes are located throughout the body in groups of several pieces, they can be easily palpated during examination. But there are also visceral lymph nodes, which are located in the chest, in the peritoneal cavity, retroperitoneally along the course of large vessels. X-ray or ultrasound examination is used to visualize them.
Lymph nodes act as a kind of barrier to the spread of infection. The main indications for the study are enlarged lymph nodes without any apparent reason, the presence of dense nodes that are difficult to move and painful to palpation. If the elbow, chest, supraclavicular or subclavian lymph nodes are palpable, this is another reason to undergo ultrasound.
Ultrasound examination allows to detect the number and size of lymph nodes, their location, contour, structure and shape. In addition, the doctor examines the organ with which the node is connected. The procedure does not require preliminary preparation, has no contraindications and does not harm human health.