MR Imaging of cervical lymph nodes

Forty patients who underwent neck dissection for head and neck carcinoma were evaluated preoperatively with MR imaging. With use of saddle-shaped surface coil, axial and occasionally sagittal and coronal images were obtained. The authors have compared T1-, T2-, and proton density-weighted spin-echo (SE), T2-weighted gradient-echo (GE), Gd-DTPA-enhanced T1-weighted SE and T1-weighted GE images with the pathologic findings. Radiography of specimens enabled an exact correlation between MR and pathologic findings. T2-weighted GE and T1-weighted SE imaging were found to be most useful in localizing lymph nodes. Gd-DTPA-enhanced T1-weighted GE imaging clearly showed central necrosis