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Gray‐scale sonographic evaluation of cervical lymphadenopathy in cat‐scratch disease
Author(s) -
Ridder Gerd Jürgen,
Richter Bernhard,
Disko Ulrike,
Sander Anna
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of clinical ultrasound
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.272
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1097-0096
pISSN - 0091-2751
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0096(200103/04)29:3<140::aid-jcu1013>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - medicine , lymph , hilum (anatomy) , echogenicity , lymph node , cervical lymph nodes , cat scratch disease , cervical lymphadenopathy , differential diagnosis , radiology , pathology , ultrasound , disease , cancer , metastasis
Purpose The aim of this study was to characterize the gray‐scale sonographic findings in the lymph nodes of patients with cat‐scratch disease (CSD). Methods We analyzed the sonograms of cervical lymph nodes in 41 patients with proven CSD between January 1997 and October 1999. Results A total of 222 involved lymph nodes were detected. Involved nodes were most commonly found in the middle cervical (58%), parotid (37%), upper cervical (37%), and submandibular (17%) regions. We found acute, chronic, or abscessed lymphadenopathy in 63%, 12%, and 24% of patients, respectively. The size of involved lymph nodes ranged from 12 × 4 mm to 35 × 26 mm. The largest involved node had a short axis/long axis ratio of 0.5 or more in 61% of patients. Useful features for the differential diagnosis included markedly decreased echogenicity (100%), normal surrounding tissues (100%), and the presence of an echogenic hilum (76%). Posterior sound enhancement was significantly associated with larger and abscessed lymph nodes. Conclusions Despite the absence of a specific sonographic finding for CSD, gray‐scale sonography can provide clues to the diagnosis of CSD in the proper clinical setting. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 29:140–145, 2001.