Ultrasound of the neck

Today sonography of the head and neck serves only for assessment of the thyroid gland and arteriosclerotic lesions of the extracranial vessels in many hospitals. This article reviews ultrasound of the remaining cervical structures, particularly space occupying lesions. The differentiation between malignant and benign lymphadenopathy or between intraglandular and extraglandular abnormalities of the salivary glands is possible with an accuracy of 90 percent to 95 percent. Limitations of the method lie in the difficult access to the scull base and the retropharyngeal and retrotracheal space.