The aim of this study is to establish whether intraoral ultrasonogram is useful in diagnosis of diseases of the floor of the mouth. Thirty-three patients (12 ranulas, 4 cysts, 6 sialolithiases, 3 benign tumors and 6 malignant tumors) were examined on a Toshiba SAL-30 A ultrasonic image processor. A phased array transducer assembly of 5 MHz (Toshiba model JOB-SET-A) was used.
Intraoral scanning ultrasonogram showed higher level of internal echo and delineated more clearly than extraoral scanning ultrasonogram. Intraoral scanning ultrasound proved highly efficacious as an adjunctive procedure in the preoperative evaluation of patients with diseases of the floor of the mouth.
