[Intraoperative ultrasonic scanning during hepatic, biliary and pancreatic surgery]

Intraoperative ultrasound (US) is one of the most recent applications of US technology. Intraoperative US is currently used within several surgical fields. Intraoperative US may better define the normal anatomy and target pathology than preoperative studies. The method has proved to be an attractive diagnostic tool in surgery of the biliary tract, pancreas and liver. However, one difficulty that has prevented general acceptance of the method is the surgeon's unfamiliarity with the use of diagnostic ultrasound. In order to obtain successful outcome of intraoperative US, close cooperation between the surgeon and the ultrasonologist is essential.