Breast MRI in the Assessment of Internal Thoracic Lymph Nodes: Morphodynamic and Functional Criteria for Detection of Metastatic Lymph Nodes

Morphological MRI parameters, particularly lymph node size, volume, surface area, compactness, and ADC values, provide reliable criteria for distinguishing metastatic from physiological ITLNs in breast cancer patients. Incorporation of these morpho-functional MRI features into routine breast MRI assessment may improve diagnostic accuracy and staging. Larger prospective multicenter studies are warranted to validate these findings and establish standardized imaging protocols.