Sonography, by virtue of its noninvasive nature, is used more and more in modern medicine as the first imaging modality for adults and children presenting with unex plained cervical mass lesions as well as for the study of the carotid arteries and jugular veins. Remarkable advances have been achieved in ultrasound technology during the past 10 years, including color Doppler, power Doppler and the clinical use of new specific contrast agents. This technical progress has opened new and highly interesting diagnos tic pathways for the study of a great variety of mass lesions affecting the various organs and anatomic areas of the head and neck region. This book intends to provided the latest, much-needed update of our knowledge on the diagnostic potential of sonography in the cervical region and constitutes a very wel come addition to our series "Medical Radiology", which aims to cover all important clinical imaging fields of modern diagnostic radiology. It will be of great interest for general and specialized radiologists, for pediatricians, and for vascular and head and neck surgeons. Professor J. N. Bruneton and his team in Nice are very well known experts in the field and they have, over the years, accumulated unique experience and a wealth of informa tion on head and neck pathology as visualized with sonography. I would like to con gratulate the editor and all contributors to this volume most sincerely for their outstand ing work; the content is comprehensive, the illustrations superb.
Throughout the world, sonography is often the first and sometimes the only imaging modality to be used after clinical examination. This is particularly true for the cervical region. This book reviews the sonographic features of the cervical structures, including the thyroid, parathyroids, salivary glands, lymph nodes, larynx and hypopharynx, and blood vessels. Detailed morphological descriptions of numerous pathological processes are provided, followed by thorough discussion of differential diagnostic problems. The role of all of the new technical modalities, including high-definition gray scale, enhanced color Doppler, and ultrasound contrast agents, is fully considered. The closing chapter is devoted to the use of cervical sonography in pediatrics.
