European journal of radiology
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Since the assessment of lymph node metastases in head and neck cancer patients remains a major problem, the findings of different imaging methods and the role of these methods in the clinical management are compared. ⋯ CT is superior to low field MRI in depicting small pathologic lymph nodes. Unlike lymph node structure, lymph node size is not a highly reliable criterion for malignancy. The findings must be correlated in relation to the primary disease. Since FNAC under US-guidance offers additional information about enlarged lymph nodes and since it can show malignancy in small lymph nodes not found by other methods, it can be recommended for most head and neck cancer patients irrespective of the use of CT or MRI.