[A damping method makes possible a more exact sonographic study of tongue movements]

If the home-made cushioning appliance presented here is placed during ultrasonic examinations between the submental region and the probe head, then the problems caused by probe head movement and pressure on the submental region, as have been encountered in the past, can be solved. The use of such a cushioning appliance makes possible a more accurate B-mode ultrasonic evaluation of tongue function. The prevailing method and the cushioning method presented here were studied on 50 test patients. Comparison of the 2 methods revealed that in fact the use of the cushioning method prevented movement in the ultrasonic probe and also its use hardly impaired the patient's ability to swallow. We therefore recommend that this cushioning method be routinely applied during ultrasonic examinations of tongue function.