[Sonography of head and neck]

A brief, schematic summary of a workshop held in Davos 2003 is presented. Sonography of the head and neck has been carried out successfully since the beginning of the sonographical era, as this region is readily accessible to the transducer head and the superficial position of the organ can be very well visualized. The prerequisites are a high-resolution transducer-head (around 7.5 MHz), operator experience and good knowledge of the relevant anatomy. The type of transducer selected--linear or mechanical wobbler--plays a subordinate role, and color Doppler technology is not mandatory. This brief presentation will not address the thyroid gland, the cervical vessels, the paranasal sinuses, the facial soft tissue or the pharynx.