Nodes though nodal size could be a nonspecific criterion

Nodes though nodal size could be a nonspecific criterion, it's routinely
used to assist distinguish normal from tumor-c ontaining
lymph nodes ; usually a size threshold of one cm is employed. 253 ct
and mr are fairly correct in detecting enlarged lymph nodes
within the hilar and mediastinal regions. though, the cause for
nodal enlargement perhaps reactive hyperplasia or metastases,
and also these can not be simply differentiated using e ither modality.
159 one limitation of mri for assessing nodal staging is its
poor spatial resolution ; tiny adjacent nodes that are discrete
on ct could seem jointly massive, indistinct mass at mri, leading
to an erroneous diagnosis of nodal enlargement. 254 in a veryddition,
mri is poor for detecting calcification, and so enlarged
benign nodes containing calcification is also misclassified as
being malignant. ct and mri have accuracies of 62% to six8%
and 68% to 74%, respectively, for d etecting metastatic disease
to hilar lymph nodes and neither modality can establish micrometatastases
at intervals normal size lymph nodes. 106, 107, 251, 254–258
lymph node morphology and signal characteristics on mr
haven't been useful in predicting the presence or absence of
metastatic disease. 106, 108, 239, 253, 256, 259
mri performed once intravenous infusion of ultra small
iron-oxide particles that are taken up by the reticuloendothelial
system has been used to distinguish between nontumorous
lymph nodes and tumor-containing lymph nodes. 260, 261
this technique has been shown to be of worth in distinguishing
between normal and tumor-containing lymph nodes in small
series of patients with head and neck and pelvic malignancies,
262–264 however the results within the chest are disappointing,
with a reported specificity of solely 37%. 265 the events
of pet/ct and endobronchial ultrasound combined
with fine needle cytology hold additional promise