We aimed at evaluating the impact of ultrasound-guided (US) hookwire localization of nonpalpable cervical lymphadenopathy on operating time.
Retrospective case control study (January 2017 and May 2021) of 26 patients with lateral nonpalpable cervical lymphadenopathy undergoing surgery with (H+) and without (H-) per operative US-guided hook-wire localization. Operative time (general anesthesiology onset, hookwire placement, end of surgery) and surgery-related adverse events data were collected.
Mean operative time was significantly shorter in H+ group versus H- group (26 ± 16 min vs. 43 ± 22 min) (p = 0.02). Histopathological diagnosis accuracy was 100% versus 94% (H+ vs. H-, p = 0.1). No significant between group difference in surgery-related adverse events was reported (wound healing, p = 0.162; hematomas, p = 0.498; neoplasms removal failure, p = 1).
US-guided hookwire localization of lateral nonpalpable cervical lymphadenopathy allowed a significant reduction in operative time, comparable histopathological diagnosis accuracy and adverse events compared with H-.

OBJECTIVE: Deep learning algorithms have shown potential in streamlining difficult clinical decisions. In the present study, we report the diagnostic profile of a deep learning model in differentiating malignant and benign lymph nodes in patients with papillary thyroid cancer.
METHODS: An in-house deep learning-based model called \"ClymphNet\" was developed and tested using two datasets containing ultrasound images of 195 malignant and 178 benign lymph nodes. An expert radiologist also viewed these ultrasound images and extracted qualitative imaging features used in routine clinical practice. These signs were used to train three different machine learning algorithms. Then the deep learning model was compared with the machine learning models on internal and external validation datasets containing 22 and 82 malignant and 20 and 76 benign lymph nodes, respectively.
RESULTS: Among the three machine learning algorithms, the support vector machine model (SVM) outperformed the best, reaching a sensitivity of 91.35%, specificity of 88.54%, accuracy of 90.00%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.925 in all cohorts. The ClymphNet performed better than the SVM protocol in internal and external validation, achieving a sensitivity of 93.27%, specificity of 92.71%, and an accuracy of 93.00%, and an AUC of 0.948 in all cohorts.
CONCLUSIONS: A deep learning model trained with ultrasound images outperformed three conventional machine learning algorithms fed with qualitative imaging features interpreted by radiologists. Our study provides evidence regarding the utility of ClymphNet in the early and accurate differentiation of benign and malignant lymphadenopathy.

Purpose: To analyze the outcome and prognosis of patients with refractory cervical lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after external irradiation, who underwent interstitial 125I brachytherapy as a salvage treatment with a CT-guided coplanar template-assisted technique. We also want to compare the dosimetry of 3D printed coplanar template-assisted interstitial 125I brachytherapy preoperative and postoperative, and to explore the accuracy of this technology. Material and methods: We retrospectively collected and analyzed the results of 32 patients with refractory cervical lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after external irradiation, who underwent interstitial 125I brachytherapy as a salvage treatment with a CT-guided coplanar template-assisted technique from January 2012 to December 2017. Results: The actual D90 were 114 to 240 Gy, and the median postoperative dosimetry assessment was 177.5 Gy. The local control rates at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 87.5%, 59.38%, 40.63%, and 31.25%, respectively. The median local control time was 7.5 months. The median overall survival time was 10.5 months (95% CI, 8.9-13.4), and the survival rates of 1- and 2-year, respectively, were 43.75% and 9.38%. There were 36 lesions in 32 patients. By performing a paired t-test analysis, there was no significant difference in D90, D100, V100, V150, V200, GTV volume, CI, EI, and HI between preoperative and postoperative (P > .05). Conclusions: Interstitial 125I brachytherapy can be used as a salvage treatment for patients with refractory cervical lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after external irradiation. With the auxiliary function of 3D printed coplanar template, the main dosimetry parameters verified after the operation can meet the requirements of the preoperative plan with good treatment accuracy.

A randomized comparison of ultrasound (US)-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) under the assistance of hydrodissection with fine needle aspiration (FNA) was performed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and effectiveness for the diagnosis of high-risk cervical lymph nodes. Patients from December 2018 to May 2020 were randomly assigned to the CNB group and the FNA group at a ratio of 1:1. This study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of our hospital and registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800019370). The feasibility of CNB for high-risk cervical lymph nodes was evaluated by observing and recording the separation success rate (SSR) and technical success rate (TSR) of the CNB group. Safety was evaluated by comparing the incidence of major complications in the two groups. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by comparing the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the two groups. A total of 84 patients (84 lymph nodes) were randomized into the CNB (n = 42) and FNA (n = 42) groups. All patients in the CNB group achieved successful hydrodissection and biopsy. The SSR and TSR were both 100% in the CNB group. There were no major complications during or after the process in the two groups. Compared with the FNA group, the CNB group was significantly superior in terms of diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity (100% vs. 81.0%, P = 0.009; 100% vs. 79.2%, P = 0.035, respectively). The specificity of the two groups was 100%, and there was no significant difference. Compared with FNA, CNB under the assistance of hydrodissection is a feasible and safe method but is more effective for the diagnosis of high-risk cervical lymph nodes.
BACKGROUND: http://www.medresman.org, ChiCTR1800019370.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a multiparametric ultrasound (MPUS) diagnostic model improves differential diagnosis of benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes.
METHODS: MPUS evaluation was performed on 87 lesions in 86 patients, and related characteristics and parameters of the patients and lesions were studied and logistic regression models based on the MPUS characteristics of cervical lymph nodes were built. A receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were built for the evaluation of diagnostic performances.
RESULTS: Of the 87 lesions in 86 patients, there were 31 benign and 56 malignant lesions. Regression models for Duplex ultrasound and MPUS were established. The Duplex ultrasound regression model showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 94.4, 61.3, 86.3 and 80.9%, respectively. The predictive accuracy was 82.4%, and the AUC was 0.861. The MPUS regression model showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 98.1, 61.3, 81.5 and 95.0%, respectively. The predictive accuracy was 84.7%, and the AUC was 0.894. The differences in AUCs between the Duplex ultrasound model and MPUS model, ultrasound model and ultrasonic elastography (UE), and Duplex ultrasound and UE were not significant (all p > 0.05); the differences in AUCs between the MPUS model and Duplex ultrasound, Duplex ultrasound model and Duplex ultrasound, and MPUS model and UE were significant (all p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The Duplex ultrasound and MPUS models achieve significantly higher diagnostic performance for differentiating between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes.

Our study describes the epidemiology and aetiology of cervical lymphadenopathy in children diagnosed between 2003 and 2017 at the pathology laboratory of Lomé, Togo. A total of 221 cases were collected. The average age of diagnosis of the study population was 9.8 ± 0.3 years and consisted of 118 (53.4%) boys. HIV was confirmed by indirect ELISA test in 69 (31.2%) cases. The cohort consisted of infections (n = 128, 57.9%), tumours (n = 85, 38.5%) and others (n = 8, 1.6%). The main infectious aetiology was tuberculosis (n = 84). Tumour aetiology consisted of 79 primary malignancies and three metastatic cases. Primary tumours consisted predominantly of lymphoma (n = 74), with Burkitt\'s lymphoma (n = 44) being the most common. Tuberculosis on a background of HIV infection remains the dominant cause of cervical lymphadenopathy in the tropical region of Togo.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal treatment for a substantial proportion of patients with pT1-pT2 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) remains to be refined. The extent of surgery, role and potential benefit of adjuvant treatment are to be balanced against therapy-induced side effects. We compared the outcomes of surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemotherapy (CRT) and investigated the prognostic value of established clinicopathological parameters.
METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected for 227 patients who were treated by surgery alone (n = 31), RT (n = 87) and CRT (n = 109) in a single center.
RESULTS: Patients with stage I/II disease who had received adjuvant RT showed a better disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.04) than those who had received adjuvant CRT treatment. Conversely, patients with stage III/IV disease who had received CRT showed a better overall survival (OS) (P = 0.003) and DFS (P = 0.03) than those who had received surgery alone or adjuvant RT without chemotherapy. Survival analysis demonstrated that patients with pN0 to pN1 had better OS (P = 0.02), disease-specific survival (DSS) (P = 0.003), DFS (P = 0.02) and metastases free survival (MFS) (P = 0.002) compared to patients with pN2 to pN3. Multivariate analysis showed that the pN status was an independent factor for OS (P = 0.03), DSS (P = 0.04), relapse-free survival (P = 0.03), DFS (P = 0.03).
CONCLUSIONS: The pN status is the most important prognostic factor for pT1 to pT2 SCCHN. Adjuvant CRT was associated with significantly better survival outcomes in patients with pN1 and pN2-3 or more advanced stage, while adjuvant RT showed significantly better outcomes in patients with pN0.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a major health threat in a country like India, where patients frequently present with advanced disease with regional dissemination to cervical lymph nodes. The management and prognosis depend on the status of cervical lymph nodes. Thus, it becomes imperative to diagnose and evaluate them preoperatively.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the efficacy of palpation, ultrasonography (USG) and computed tomography (CT) in the preoperative evaluation of cervical lymph node for metastasis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
METHODS: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, SCB Dental College and Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, India.
METHODS: A total of thirty patients of either sex of age group 20-70 years, diagnosed with oral cancer were randomly selected for the study and subjected to palpation, USG and computer tomography followed by histopathology for confirmation. The results were evaluate statistically by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value and accuracy.
RESULTS: For level IA palpation, USG and CT were equally sensitive (100%) and specific (100%). Although palpation, USG and CT were equally sensitive (80%) for level IB, the specificity of palpation (70%) CONCLUSIONS: CT (96.1%) and USG (97.7%) were more accurate than palpation (92.7%), for detection of metastasis in cervical lymph nodes in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. CT along with USG should be used for accurate preoperative evaluation of cervical lymph node.

Introduction Although the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Japan has been decreasing yearly, Japan remains ranked as an intermediate-burden country for TB. Objective This study aims to investigate the current situation of head and neck extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) diagnosed in our department. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 47 patients diagnosed with EPTB in the head and neck in our department between January 2005 and December 2014. The extracted data included sex and age distribution, development site, chief complaint, presence or absence of concomitant active pulmonary TB (PTB) or history of TB, tuberculin skin test (TST) results, interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) results, and duration from the first visit to the final diagnosis of EPTB. Results The subjects consisted of 20 men and 27 women, and age ranged from 6 to 84 years. The most common site was the cervical lymph nodes (30 patients), with the supraclavicular nodes being the most commonly affected (60%). Histopathological examination was performed on 28 patients. TST was positive in 9 out of 9 patients and the IGRA was positive in 18 out of 19 patients. We observed concomitant PTB in 15 out of the 47 patients. Mean duration from the first visit to the final diagnosis of EPTB was 56 days. Conclusion The clinical symptoms of TB, especially those in the head and neck region, are varied. Otolaryngologists should be especially aware of the extrapulmonary manifestations of TB to ensure early diagnosis and treatment from the public health viewpoint.

OBJECTIVES AND INTRODUCTION: Medullary thyroid carcinoma, a neoplasia of intermediate prognosis and differentiation, does not always respond predictably to known treatments. This study aimed to correlate the clinical progression of surgically treated patients with clinical and pathological data.
METHODS: A total of 53 patients were followed for 75 months (mean average) in tertiary-care hospital. The clinical status of patients at the end of the study period was characterized to determine correlations with a range of disease aspects. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (41.5%) were alive and disease-free at the end of the follow-up period; twenty-three patients (43.4%) had persistent disease; and eight patients (15.1%) had recurrent disease. Four patients (7.6%) died from medullary thyroid carcinoma with clinical and/or imaging evidence of neoplasia. The following aspects demonstrated statistically significant correlations with the final medical condition: positive initial cervical examination (p = 0.002); neoplastic extensions to the thyroid capsule (p = 0.004) and adjacent tissues (p = 0.034); cervical lymph node metastases (p < 0.001); diameter of neoplasia (p = 0.018); TNM (tumor, node and metastasis) Stage (p = 0.001) and evidence of distant and/or cervical diseases in the absence of a cure (p = 0.011). Through logistic regression, the presence of cervical lymph node metastases was considered an independent variable (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and pathological aspects of patients with surgically treated medullary thyroid carcinomas are predictors of disease progression. Specifically, even treated cervical lymph node metastases are significantly correlated with disease progression.