ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF NODULAR AND INFILTRATIVE LESIONS OF THE SKIN AND SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUES

Ultrasonography with high‐frequency probes was performed on 80 dermatological patients carrying palpable lesions of the skin. The case list included hemo‐and lymphangiomas (16 cases), cysts (13 cases), Kaposi sarcomas (9 cases), and panniculitis (20 cases). All lesions underwent open biopsy and histological examination. Ultrasound yielded technically adequate images in 74/80 cases (93%). Angiomas appeared as multiple transonic cavities separated by hyperechoic septa; cysts were usually echo free or weakly echogenic, with smooth outlines. Kaposi sarcomas corresponded to superficial hypoechoic nodules with blurred margins, while panniculitis appeared as a diffuse thickening of the subcutaneous space. When acute inflammation was present, as in most cases of erythema nodosum, a nonhomogeneous hypoechoic pattern was found. Copyright © 1990 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company