Efficacy of preoperative ultrasonography in the evaluation of tumor thickness of tongue

Comparison between the clinically measured vertical thickness of tumor with Ultrasonography keeping the Postoperative Histological measurement as a gold standard in patients with tongue carcinoma (uptoT4 clinical staging) with limited pharyngeal extension.

Twenty five clinically and histologically proved cases of carcinoma of the tongue patients (uptoT4 clinical staging) were subjected to Ultrasonography to measure tongue tumor thickness using 5–8.2 MHz probe, before they underwent surgical resection. The Post surgical specimens were studied histopathologically for tumor thickness, which was considered as a gold standard. The values of Ultrasonographically measured and histologically measured vertical tumor thickness of tongue were tabulated for statistical analysis for comparison.

Overall accuracy of ultrasonography as compared with histopathology was 64%, whereas 100% accuracy in T1 staged tumors and 12.5% in T2 staged tumors. The p <0.001(HS) Sonographic accuracy was 75%, 30%, & 11.11% in T1, T2 and T3 stages respectively. Ultrasound overestimation was found in 25% of T1 staged tumors and underestimation in 70% and 88.89% in T2 and T3 staged tumors respectively, with the p<0.001 (HS) & the Karl Pearson Product Correlation coefficient, r = 0.6739 being significant.

Preoperative ultrasonography can be used as an adjunctive diagnostic tool for precise surgical treatment plan in tongue cancer up to T3 clinical staging.