대한영상의학회지 (Apr 2017)

Enlarged Superior Cervical Sympathetic Ganglion Mimicking a Metastatic Lymph Node in the Retropharyngeal Space: A Case Report

  • Jae Min Kim,
  • Jinna Kim,
  • Se Hoon Kim,
  • Eun Chang Choi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2017.76.4.278
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 76, no. 4
pp. 278 – 281

Abstract

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The superior cervical sympathetic ganglion, the largest and most cranial of the three cervical sympathetic ganglia, transfers sympathetic signals to specific targets on the head and neck. This ganglion is located just lateral to the retropharyngeal space along the medial margin of the carotid sheath. Located thus, an enlarged superior cervical sympathetic ganglion can mimic a metastatic lymph node in the retropharyngeal space of the suprahyoid neck in head and neck cancer patients. However, this is often disregarded by radiologists due to lack of interest in its anatomic location. We present a case of an enlarged superior cervical sympathetic ganglion mimicking a retropharyngeal metastatic lymph node in a 42-year-old man with oral tongue cancer.

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