Ultrasound of the neck

Today sonography of the head and neck serves only for assessment of the thy roid gland and arteriosclerotic lesions of the extracranial vessels in many hospitals. This article reviews ultrasound of the remaining cervical struc tures, particularly space occupying lesions. The differentiation between ma lignant and benign lymphadenopathy or between intraglandular and extragland ular abnormalities of the salivary glands is possible with an accuracy of 9 0 percent to 95 percent. Limitations of the method lie in the difficult acc ess to the scull base and the retropharyngeal and retrotracheal space.