Ultrasound Elastography in the Diagnosis of Malignant Cervical Lymphadenopathy in Children: Can It Replace Surgical Biopsy?

Prospective study of 64 children evaluates ultrasound elastography for detecting malignant cervical lymph nodes, achieving 90.6% accuracy with 100% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity. While elastography outperforms conventional B-mode and Doppler ultrasound, surgical biopsy remains necessary for definitive diagnosis and treatment planning in pediatric cervical lymphadenopathy.