[Differential diagnostics of acute inflammatory diseases and tumors of the neck]

The purpose of the investigation was to assess the clinical significance of ultrasonography for differential diagnostics between acute inflammatory and tumorous lesions of the neck. One hundred and eighty-six patients with soft-tissue lesions of the neck aged 18 to 74 (mean age 31.45 +/- 8.39 years), 95 (51%) males and 91 (49%) females were examined. Basing on clinical and ultrasonographic examination, the patients were divided into two groups: 149 or 80% patients with acute inflammatory lesions (Group 1), and 37 or 20% patients with tumorous lesions (Group 2). Thirty-four of the 149 Group 1 patients (22.82%) had lymphadenitis, 30 (20.13%) had soft tissue infiltrates, 13 (8.72%) had abscesses, 19 (12.72%) had phlegmons, 32 (21.48%) had acute inflammatory changes in the major salivary glands, 3 (2.01%) had teratomas with signs of inflammation, and 17 (11.41%) patients had inflammatory changes in the tumors. Of 37 patients with tumorous lesions, 16 (43.2%) had salivary gland tumors, 12 (32.4%) had metastases in the lymphatic nodes, and 9 (24.3%) had neurofibromatosis. Soft tissue ultrasonography was performed using Sonos-5500 and Image-Point ultrasound scanners with 7.5 MHz sensors (Hewlett-Packard, USA), Logio-pro, Uoluson-730 Expert (General Electric, USA), and Premium Edition (ACUSON Antares, Siemens, Germany) with 5 to 13 MHz wide-frequency sensors. Visualization was performed in B-modes using tissue harmonics, color duplex scanning, Sie Scape panoramic visualization, contrast visualization and Sight 4D and 3D-Scape modes. The results of ultrasonography were analyzed taking into account additional methods such as computed and magnetic resonance tomography, intraoperative findings, the results of puncture biopsy, histological, morphological, and bacteriological studies. The study demonstrates that ultrasonography is the method of choice, which is in some cases enough to establish a diagnosis of an acute inflammatory disease or a tumorous formation of various localizations in the neck.