[Interventional measures under sonographic control for diagnosis and therapy]

Surgery under sonographic monitoring and guidance has become widely and rapidly accepted for diagnosis and certain therapeutic measures. A conclusive diagnosis of tissue changes can be made today in most cases only via cytological examination, despite the manifold macromorphological diagnostic methods. Hence, this method is indispensable especially if there is an oncological problem. The rapidity of procedure and evaluation by rapid staining facilitate a quick decision for a particular therapy, so that surgery under sonographic guidance has become a popular method within a very short time. Intermittent palliative measures, such as nephrostomy, are preferred in therapy, but besides these drainage of the abscess has grown increasingly important since it is characterized by a high rate of healing and small risk. In addition, it is a procedure that is hardly invasive and can be tolerated even by severely ill patients. We must await the development of new technologies, for example magnetic resonance tomography, in this regard, by which non-invasive diagnosis may become even more refined and sophisticated. However, puncture will remain an indispensable aid for some time to come as far as daily clinical routine is concerned.