Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Aid in Evaluating Cystic Lesions, Benign Tumors and Malignancies of Maxillofacial Region: A Clinical Study

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of Ultrasonography as a diagnostic aid in cysts, benign tumors and malignancies of maxillofacial region. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of the osseous lesions of the jaws including cysts, benign tumors and malignant tumors. All the findings obtained by ultrasonography were compared and correlated with the clinical diagnosis, radiographic diagnosis and histopathological findings. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 42 patients with osseous maxillofacial swellings. The clinical and radiographic examination was carried out for all the patients who were afterward subjected to ultrasonography with color Doppler followed by histopathology. All the findings obtained were then statistically analyzed. Results: The utility of ultrasonography was evaluated considering histopathology as a gold standard. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was found to be 100% in cystic lesions, 80% in benign tumors, and 85.71% in malignant tumors. Conclusion: Ultrasonography provides an accurate imaging of the head and neck region and does provide information about the nature of the lesion, its extent, and relationship with the surrounding structures. We propose the use of ultrasonography as an adjunctive examination for osseous lesions of the jaws before any invasive treatment.