[Echotomography in the diagnosis of abdominal masses]

The contribution of echotomography in the surgical approach to intra-abdominal masses is illustrated through description of several clinical observations. In order to effect frontal reconstruction of ultrasonic seriography, the authors used a manual-scanning B echotomograph probe working in the range of grays. This technic afforded detection of the intraperitoneal and extraperitoneal abdominal masses under investigation as well as precise definition of their location, size, and nature. Because of its rapidity and painlessness, echotomography should be adopted as firstchoice procedure for the diagnostic exploration of intraabdominal masses. Frontal reconstruction enables the surgeon to verify the topography of said masses with remarkable precision, and hence to plan surgery more intelligently.