Ultrasonography on the Early Postoperative Control of Severe Odontogenic Infections

The management of odontogenic infections remains an important segment of the oral-maxillofacial surgical practice. The implementation of ultrasonography (US) imaging for the diagnosis of head and neck infections increases the possibility of visualizing the abscess collections in the deep neck spaces of lateral pharyngeal, masticator, and submandibular areas. The US imaging can detect the presence of fluid collections and edema, which may indicate local inflammation. Signs of deeper infections, such as subcutaneous emphysema and perifascial fluid, may also be apparent via US imaging. We present a new technique that uses US imaging to evaluate the deep neck infections after drainage from the early postoperative time to determine the locations of the drains inside the collection area and the edema of adjacent tissues. This technique is less costly than computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and allows for early assessment of adjacent tissues, leading to an earlier extubation and reduced hospitalization time and costs.