Colour Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer

A prospective survey was carried out to establish the value of colour Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) in staging the axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer. One hundred lymph node dissections in 98 patients were studied. The results of CDU were compared with the results of histological examination. In this study CDU had a sensitivity of 50% and a total accuracy of 72%. These percentages are lower than reported from other centres and suggest CDU might not be a reliable investigation for evaluating axillary lymph nodes in breast cancer patients.