[Computerized tomography of the soft tissue of the neck. Lymph nodes and their differential diagnosis. II: Clinical value of CT in lymph node staging].

Basing on an analyses of pretherapeutic CT examinations of 333 patients suffering from squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region (206 of these had lymph node metastases), the clinical diagnostic value of CT for lymph node staging was determined. CT criteria for metastatic infestation of the lymph nodes were the lymph node size (greater than 15 mm) and structural characteristics (inhomogenity, central hypdensity with rim enhancement), and it became evident that CT with its 93% sensitivity and 89% accuracy was superior to clinical palpation, where the sensitivity was only 64% and the accuracy 72%. It can be concluded from these results that CT provides a reliable basis for a therapeutic approach.