[A- and B-mode ultrasound diagnosis in diseases of the paranasal sinuses and soft tissues of the face].

A-mode ultrasonography in paranasal sinus disease for 13 years and of B-mode ultrasonography for 10 years provide the experience to define the role of both diagnostic imaging procedures in various processes of the paranasal sinuses and the overlaying soft tissues. While A-mode ultrasonography of the maxillary and frontal sinus remains an excellent screening method for initial examinations and follow up controls, the improved imaging quality of B-mode ultrasonography facilitates diagnosis in case of ethmoid sinus involvement and in lesions of the facial soft tissues. In infantile sinusitis, ultrasonography is far more reliable than conventional x-ray projections. The global conformity for this method depends on the localization of the affected sinus and on the nature of the disease process.