[Value of ultrasonic diagnosis in the study of metastatic cervical adenopathies. Clinical and anatomo-pathological correlation apropos of 266 lymph node excisions].

Preoperative ultrasound exploration of the cervical node regions was performed for 207 patients; US findings were compared with data obtained by physical examination and histopathologic analysis. Ultrasonography offers multiple advantages: detection of subclinical lymph nodes, accurate measurement of node volume, facilitating classification, evaluation of vascular relations, and particularly diagnosis of internal jugular vein thrombosis. Despite the limitations of ultrasonography, the rapidity and noninvasiveness of this technique make it the procedure of choice for the initial workup of patients with a cervicofacial epithelioma.