[Indications and possibilities of ultrasound diagnosis in skeletal metastases]

Based on the analysis of 921 metastatically affected skeletal regions in 519 tumor patients, the diagnostic relevance of ultrasound for therapy planning and follow-up is shown. As an ideal adjunct to conventional X-ray, it is equivalent to it with respect to involvement of the cortical layer and inferior to infiltration of the medullary space, but superior concerning the periosteum and the paraossal soft tissues. The pain of osteolyses is explained by infiltrating processes into the periosteum and the paraossal space. Ultrasound offers a valuable contribution to tumor characterization by dynamic representation of osseous and paraosseal tumorous processes. The high sensitivity of the method results in effective monitoring of the therapy and indications for its optimization.