YING Haiyue,WU Haitao.. Indirect computed tomography lymphography for diagnosis of early neck lymph node metastasis in tongue cancer[J]. JOURNAL OF WEZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, 2016, 46(9): 660-665.
Abstract：Objective: Experimental evaluation of the potential utility of indirect computed tomography lymphography (CT-LG) for detecting early cervical lymph node metastasis in rabbits VX2 tongue cancer model.Methods: Eighteen New-Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups randomly, one group were injected egg-yolk emulsion in the neck, one group were transplanted with VX2 tumor tissue mass suspension in the tongue, and the last remained untreated. CT-LG with submucosal injection of 0.5 mL Iohexol in the tongue was performed, followed by postmortem examination of deep cervical lymph nodes. Results: Only deep cervical lymph nodes were enhanced in CT-LG, there was no noticeable enhancement in the blood vessels. The average diameter of metastatic lymph nodes were (0.73±0.08) cm in CT, the hyperplasic group were (0.75±0.10) cm and the normal group were (0.47±0.05) cm. The contrast in metastatic nodes reduced more slowly than normal and hyperplasic nodes with significant difference. Metastatic nodes’ manifestations in CT-LG included filling defect, rugosity in line and heterogeneous while the other two groups appear to be smooth and homogenous. Conclusion: Indirect CT-LG has some advantage in finding out the early neck lymph node metastasis in tongue cancer.
