Abstract: Objective To determine and probe the CT imaging feature of cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis and the value for diagnosis.Methods Plain CT and enhanced CT were scan in 45 cervical lymph node tuberculosis patients and 13 metastasis tumor patients verified by pathology.Results In 45 cases,the most involved area of cervical lymph mode tuberculosis was inferior internal jugular (86.1%),middle internal jugular (60%) and posterior triangle lymph modes (42.2%).Based on the configuration,attenuation and surrounding fat planes on CT scan,cervical lymph node tuberculosis were divided into five types.Type 1:homogeneous soft tissue density;Type 2:central low density and peripheral rim enhancement with relative preservation of surrounding fat lanes;Type 3:multilocal central low densities and peripheral rim enhancement with obliteration of surrounding fat planes;Type 4:lager confluent low density with peripheral rim enhancement and loss of lymph node architecture.Type 5:heterogeneous soft tissue density.Among the 45 cases of CTBL,Type 3 was most common type be noted (53.4%),followed by type 4 (44.5%),type1 (28.9%),type5 (11.1%),type2 (6.7%).Conclusion CT can not only well demonstrate the number,location,size and enhancement feature of CTBL but also reflect the pathological feature.It has important value in diagnosis and therapy of CTBL.

Key words: Lymph node tuberculosis, X-ray computed tomography