Preoperative Evaluation for Cervical and Upper Mediastinal Lymphnode Metastasis of Esophageal Cancer using Conventional Ultrasonography

Haruhiro Inoue, Mitsuo Endo, Kunihide Yoshino, Tohru Takiguchi, Tatsuyuki Kawano, Shigeru Yamazaki, Katsuo Shimoju, Tomoyuki Suzuki, Kinichi Itoh, Akinobu Yamagiwa

First Department of Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Medicine

One hundred cases of esophageal cancer were evaluated in regard to cervical and upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis by using conventional ultrasonography. The whole cervical area and the upper mediastinal region around the right brachiocephalic artery and the aortic arch could be examined. Sensitivity of the procedure was found to be 91%, specificity 95%, and over-all accuracy 94% for all lymph nodes of the cervical and upper mediastinal region. In particular, in the upper mediastinal area, the sensitivity was 91%, specificity 89%, and accuracy 90%. Therefore ultrasonographic examination of the cercical area is essential for the determination of preoperative staging for esophageal cancer.

Key words
preoperative evaluation for esophageal cancer, cervical ultrasonography, cervical lymphnode metastasis of esophageal cancer

Reprint requests
Haruhiro Inoue First Department of Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Medicine
l-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, ll3 JAPAN

Accepted
February 14, 1990

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