Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although the role of gray-scale sonography for neck nodes is well documented, it plays a limited role in the evaluation of nodal response to treatment. This preliminary limited study sought to determine color duplex sonographic changes in successfully treated metastatic nodes from nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
METHODS: Fourteen patients with nodal metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma were studied. A pretreatment sonogram was obtained for all patients. Patients were divided into two groups of seven: in one group, repeat sonograms were obtained 8 weeks after completion of treatment; in the second group, sonograms were obtained 16 weeks after treatment. The features studied included distribution of intranodal vascularity, resistive and pulsatility indexes, and peak systolic velocity. In 11 patients, follow-up sonograms were obtained 1 year after treatment.
RESULTS: The majority (90%) of malignant nodes from nasopharyngeal carcinoma have an increased central and peripheral vascularity, a high resistive index (0.8), and a high pulsatility index (1.8). After radiation therapy to the nodes, a reduction in intranodal vascularity and a statistically significant reduction in the resistive index (0.58 to 0.59) and pulsatility index (0.91 to 0.93) are found. Although a similar reduction in the peak systolic velocity is observed, it is not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Our preliminary findings suggest that after radiation therapy for malignant nodes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a reduction in intranodal vascularity is found, and the resistive and pulsatility indexes may return to benign parameters as early as 8 weeks after completion of treatment.
- Copyright © American Society of Neuroradiology
