[Echographic possibilities in surgical lesions of infancy]

The possibilities of applying ultrasound diagnosis techniques to the morphological and structural study of the soft tissues in infant surgical pathology have been examined. The technique's objective features mean that it is reliable in between 98 and 100% of cases of solid and cystic lesion identification and differentiation. In the further differentiation of solid lesions, such diagnostic accuracy may be limited by the operator's subjective experience and, objectively, by the dimensions of the lesions. Possibilities for application include thyroid, thoracic and abdominal pathology in preoperative diagnosis, postoperative control and in the monitoring of antineoplastic chemo- and radiotherapy. The peculiar features of the technique, i.e. its harmlessness and thus easy repeatibility, atraumaticity, and time and cost economy, are considered and it is concluded that it can be usefully employed on an extensive basis in the various field of infant surgical pathology, in view of the fact that other investigations always present some degree of risk and danger.