Ultrasound of the abdominal wall: What lies beneath?

Clinically equivocal abdominal wall lesions often pose diagnostic dilemmas for clinicians. It can be equally challenging to appreciate the nature of abdominal wall lesions found incidentally on abdominal ultrasound examinations. UltraSound is a non-ionizing, cheap, and easily accessible investigation for such lesions. It is widely used and has the added advantage of being a dynamic investigation. However, imaging with ultrasound is operator-dependent and relies on technical skills. It is important to understand the imaging of normal anatomy and to be familiar with the imaging appearance of lesions. We present a review of various lesions seen during ultrasound examinations of the abdominal wall or as incidental findings on abdominal ultrasound. (C) 2012 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.