Efficiency of three-dimensional Doppler ultrasonography in assessing nodal metastasis of head and neck cancer.

The aim of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) color Doppler ultrasonography with a novel predictive model in the detection of cervical metastasis of untreated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. We assessed cervical lymph node metastasis in 52 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients by 3D color Doppler ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and [(18)F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography. Pathologic analysis was used as the gold standard for evaluation of these imaging modalities. The rate of correct N staging was 84.6% on ultrasonography, 55.8% on magnetic resonance imaging, and 71.2% on positron emission tomography/computed tomography. On a level-by-level basis, the ultrasonography had 78.9% sensitivity, 99.0% specificity, 93.8% positive predictive value, 96.0% negative predictive value, and 95.7% accuracy. It also showed the highest agreement to histology results as compared with magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (kappa value = 0.832, 0.506, and 0.537, respectively). 3D Doppler ultrasonography with our prediction model provides a rapid, low-cost, noninvasive, and reliable method with low inter-observation variations for detecting neck metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.