The role of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients’ preoperative staging

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of MRI and CT with regard to the detection of lymph node metastases based on the data of specific patients with OSCC who received bilateral neck dissection. Materials and methods: In a retrospective analysis from 01/2014 to 12/2020 patients who underwent primary tumor resection and bilateral neck dissection were evaluated. Results: 174 preoperative MRI (78.74%, N=137) and CT (21.26%, N=37) were correlated with the histopathological findings. CT had a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 68% (p=0.76). MRI showed an overall sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 68% (p=0.76). In 52.87% of all cases no differences between cN and pN were found. MRI is the method to overestimate lymph node involvement compared to CT (overestimation in 27% vs. 21.62%). Conclusion: The current data indicate that MR and CT show poor efficacy in the detection of cervical metastases. Accordingly, attention must be paid to alternatives to correct local staging modalities. The application of structured bilateral neck dissection needs to be questioned.