Axillary lymph node status remains the most important prognostic factor in the patients with breast cancer and is helpful in therapeutic decisions regarding adjuvant treatment. According to researches

there are many complications in the patients who receive axillary lymph node dissection

so preoperative evaluation of lymph node is really important. With the rapid development in ultrasonic technology

high frequency and high resolution ultrasound has become the preferred method for clinical assessment of lymph nodes. The present paper focuses on gray-scale ultrasound

color-Doppler ultrasound

acoustic elastgraphy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. The advances in application of ultrasound in theoretical study and diagnosis of lymph nodes are reviewed to provide basis for identifying the nature and clinical diagnosis of lymph nodes.