[Echography of the soft tissues of the neck]

Clinical examination remains of utmost importance when dealing with patients presenting with symptoms in the cervical region. High frequency real time ultrasound can confirm a clinical diagnoses and give precise information about measurements and content of the lesion. Ultrasound guided needle punctures for cytology or microbiology are most informative. Duplex or better color Doppler instruments provide information about the vascular supply of a lesion. Thyroïd, parathyroid, salivary glands, lymph nodes and blood vessels of the cervical region are studied. Malformations and tumors of the neck, of the tongue and of the subclavian fossae are portrayed.