CHAPTER 1 - Anatomy and Technique

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two decades, rapid strides in ultrasound (US) technology and in particular the development of high resolution US have led to a greater role for ultrasound in the assessment of the extracranial head and neck. The increased spatial resolution achieved by the latest generation of machines and transducers allows excellent near field resolution. When one considers that the majority of structures and associated pathology in the neck lie only between one and five centimetres below the skin surface, and given the superior resolution that high resolution US can attain, it is not surprising that US is gaining in popularity in the field of head and neck imaging. As it is relatively inexpensive (in Radiology terms) and is readily available, the use of US will continue to increase.

One criticism of US is that it is ‘operator dependent’. While there can be no argument with that statement, it is not a criticism that is made of other imaging techniques, which are equally operator dependent. We accept that cytology is operator dependent, we know that surgery is operator dependent, so why is ‘operator dependent’ a criticism that is continually heard when US is discussed? Most medicine is operator dependent in one form or other; the myth that US is more ‘operator dependent’ than other techniques should be laid to rest.