Efficiency of ultrasonography in swellings of orofacial region

Abstract

Introduction: Ultrasonography (USG) is found to be important in identifying various soft‑tissue pathologies in the orofacial region. Therefore, its features should be studied and documented in these lesions so that a more appropriate provisional diagnosis can be made.

Aim: This study aims to study ultrasonographic features in various kinds of swellings in the orofacial region.

Materials and Methods: The study grouped consists of 30 patients of both sexes (20 males and 10 females) with an age range of 15–70 years complaining of swellings in the orofacial region. All the patients in the study were explained the need of tests and subjected to clinical, ultrasonographic, and histopathologic examination. Sonosite Micromaxx sonography machine was used with a linear array transducer of 13‑6 MHz frequencies. Ultrasonographic diagnosis is then correlated with clinical and histopathologic diagnosis. Chi‑square test and contingency coefficient tests were used.

Results: A significant association was observed between clinical and ultrasonographic diagnoses (contingency = 0.872, P < 0.05) and between ultrasonographic and histopathologic diagnoses (contingency = 0.904, P < 0.05). There was 100% congruency between clinical diagnosis and ultrasonographic diagnosis in all the cases except in cases of cysts, abscess, and sialadenitis. Reliability of USG was found to be 97% in diagnosing all the cases with respect to histopathological diagnosis, while it was 90% with respect to clinical diagnosis.

Conclusion: USG was found to be a reliable diagnostic modality in the diagnosis of orofacial swellings.

Keywords: Anechoic, hyperechoic, hypoechoic, ultrasonography