Extracapsular spread of cervical lymph node metastases: Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: Assessment of the value of magnetic resonance tomography in the determination of extracapsular neoplastic spread and soft tissue infiltration of cervical lymph nodes. Materials and Methods: The results of magnetic resonance tomographies of 110 patients with squamous cell carcinoma in the head-neck region were prospectively compared with the findings of the histologic examination after neck dissection. Results: Magnetic resonance tomography reaches a specificity of 72.2% in the detection of extracapsular neoplastic spread. The sensitivity of the method is 74.4%. Mainly small (less than 1 cm; n = 11) extracapsular growth was not detected and was diagnosed false-negative in the MRI examinations. Conclusion: The specificity (72.2%) and sensitivity (74.4%) of MRI examinations to detect extracapsular spread of lymph nodes is only partially satisfying.