Multimodal Ultrasound Including Virtual Touch Imaging Quantification for Differentiating Cervical Lymph Nodes

Defining the entity of cervical lymph nodes (LNs) is essential for the diagnosis and staging of head and neck malignancies. Virtual Touch imaging quantification (VTIQ) is a relatively new method of elastography that measures tissue stiffness quantitatively. A prospective study was conducted that included 108 patients (57 benign and 51 metastatic lymph nodes [MLNs]). Shear wave velocities (SWVs) were analyzed using VTIQ and were compared with the histopathological results. Both maximum and minimum SWVs within the LNs significantly differed between benign masses and MLNs (p < 0.001). Percentage areas of the node with SWVs >6 m/s and