Nodal imaging in the neck: recent advances in US, CT and MR imaging of metastatic nodes

The presence of lymph node metastasis in the neck in patients with head and neck cancer is an important prognostic determinant in staging cancers and in planning surgery and chemo- and radiotherapy for the cancer patients. Therefore, metastatic nodes should be effectively differentiated from benign lymphadenopathies and nodal lymphomas. Here, we review recent advances in the diagnostic imaging of metastatic nodes in the neck, with emphasis placed on the diagnostic performance of MR imaging, Doppler sonography, and CT.