鼻・副鼻腔疾患における超音波診断の試み

Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Paranasal Lesions: A Preliminary Report

I．はじめに

　超音波診断は生体に対する侵襲がほとんどなくかつ手軽に行えるため，その有用性は広く認められている。

　しかしながら耳鼻咽喉科領域での超音波診断は頸部疾患などの軟部組織疾患を除き普及していない。その主な理由は対象臓器が骨に囲まれると同時に超音波が伝播しないとされている空気をも内蔵することから検査が困難なことである。

　Thirty-nine cases of various paranasal lesions were investigated using B-mode ultrasonography, CT-scan, conventional x-ray and tomography. Lesions include chronic sinusitis, carcinoma of the maxillary sinus, postoperative mucocele, and hemangioma.

　All cases were operated upon and the operative findings were compared to the images obtained by ultrasonography and CT-scan.

　CT-scan is superior to ultrasonography in that the spatial distribution of the lesions are precisely shown.

　Ultrasonography, however, is superior to CT-scan in that the fluid content and mucosal quality are better analized.

　Ultrasonography in B-mode will add much to the image diagnosis of paranasal lesions.