With the continuous development of medical technology, medical ultrasound technology has become an indispensable diagnostic tool in modern medicine. Ultrasonic technology has the advantages of non-invasive, fast, and accurate, and is widely used in the diagnosis and monitoring of various parts of the body. Neck lymph node enlargement is one of the common clinical symptoms, involving a variety of diseases, including inflammation, tumors, and so on. Accurately diagnosing the cause of cervical lymph node enlargement is of great significance for the treatment and prognosis of the disease. This article will explore the application value of medical ultrasound scanners in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement.

1、 The working principle of ultrasonic scanner

Ultrasonic scanners use high-frequency sound waves to propagate within the human body, obtaining images of the interior of the human body through reflection and transmission. Ultrasound emits high-frequency sound waves from the probe. When these sound waves propagate within the human body, they will reflect and refract when encountering substances of different densities such as organs and tissues. After the reflected sound wave is received by the receiving probe, it is processed to generate an image, which displays the anatomical structure of the human body.

2、 Common causes of cervical lymph node enlargement

Cervical lymph node enlargement is one of the common clinical symptoms, and its common causes include inflammation, tumors, etc. Inflammatory lymph node enlargement is usually caused by bacterial, viral, fungal infections, etc. Common diseases include tonsillitis, pharyngitis, cervical lymphadenitis, etc. Tumorous lymph node enlargement may be caused by lymphoma, metastatic tumors, and other common diseases include lung cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, etc. Accurately diagnosing the cause of cervical lymph node enlargement is of great significance for the treatment and prognosis of the disease.

3、 The application value of ultrasound scanner in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement

Ultrasound scanners have the following application values in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement:

Clear diagnosis: Ultrasound scanning can clearly display the shape, size, structure, and relationship with surrounding tissues of cervical lymph nodes, thereby helping doctors determine the cause of lymph node enlargement, such as inflammation, tumors, etc.

Provide reference basis: For neck lymph node enlargement caused by suspected tumor metastasis, ultrasound scanning can provide clues about the primary tumor, such as the presence of metastatic cancer cells in the lymph nodes and whether the lymph node structure is normal, providing a reference basis for clinical doctors to develop treatment plans.

Guided treatment: Based on the results of ultrasound scans, doctors can develop targeted treatment plans, such as anti-inflammatory treatment, anti-tumor treatment, etc. Meanwhile, ultrasound guided lymph node biopsy can further clarify the nature of lymph nodes and guide the next treatment decision.

Monitoring efficacy: After treatment, regular ultrasound examinations can be performed to observe changes in cervical lymph nodes and evaluate the treatment effect. For cases with poor treatment outcomes, timely adjustment of the treatment plan can improve the patient's prognosis.

4、 Limitations of ultrasound scanner in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement

Although ultrasound scanners have many advantages in diagnosing cervical lymph node enlargement, they also have certain limitations:

For very small lymph nodes (with a diameter less than 1 centimeter), the accuracy of ultrasound scanning is relatively low, and it is prone to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis.

For some deep lymph nodes, such as mediastinal lymph nodes and retroperitoneal lymph nodes, the display effect of ultrasound scanning may not be ideal, and it is necessary to combine other imaging examination methods for diagnosis.

In terms of distinguishing the nature of lymph nodes, ultrasound scanning usually only provides morphological information and cannot determine the pathological properties of lymph nodes. At this point, lymph node biopsy or other tissue biopsy is needed to further confirm the diagnosis.

In summary, medical ultrasound scanners have important application value in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement. It can not only clarify the diagnosis, provide reference basis, guide treatment, but also monitor the efficacy. However, ultrasound scanning still has certain limitations in identifying very small lymph nodes, deep lymph nodes, and their properties. Therefore, in practical clinical applications, doctors need to combine the specific situation of patients and other examination results to comprehensively analyze and draw accurate diagnostic conclusions. With the continuous development of medical technology, it is believed that the application of ultrasound technology in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node enlargement will become increasingly widespread, providing patients with more efficient and accurate treatment plans.