Anatomical examination of intraparotid lymph nodes in various tumors of parotid gland using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE

This retrospective study aimed to anatomically compare the morphometric measurements of intraparotid lymph nodes across different parotid gland tumors and a control group.

STUDY

DESIGN

The study used retrospective images of patients admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology over the past 10 years from the Radiology Department archive at Selçuk University Medical Faculty Hospital. A total of 160 individuals were included in our study.Long-axis diameter (LAD) and short-axis diameter (SAD) were measured in axial section on magnetic resonance images.

RESULTS

In all patients, the mean SAD and LAD were significantly higher on the lesion (+) side compared to the lesion (-) side (P < .05). The mean SAD and LAD were significantly larger on the lesion (+) side compared to the control group (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

In our findings, if the SAD exceeded 3.51 mm and the LAD exceeded 4.85 mm in the control group, it can be considered suspicious in terms of lymph node abnormality, potential pathologic evaluation, and indications for further examination.