Elastography as a New Screening Tool for Metastatic Lymph Nodes in Melanoma Patients

Anne Caudron, Anne-Fleur Ch

Abstract

In melanoma patients, early detection of lymph node recurrence is essential. Elastography is a non-invasive technique for studying tissue stiffness, already used to assess liver, thyroid and breast lesions, pancreatic and prostate nodules and cervical lymphadenopathy. In a prospective pilot study, we sought to evaluate the value of a combination of elastography and B-mode ultrasonography for detecting lymph node metastases in melanoma patients.