[First impressions of the use of "SonoCT trade mark real-time compound imaging" in the head and neck area].

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic importance of sonography has improved significantly in the last ten years. Nowadays, sonography is the most common form of imaging technologies in medicine. Innovations like "Tissue Harmonic Imaging" provides higher contrast in deeper tissue layers. By use of sonographical panorama imaging techniques the documentation of topodiagnostic could be improved. Even three-dimensional-sonography has been possible for some years. With the development of "SonoCT trade mark Real-time Compound Imaging", a new technique has been developed to acquire more tissue information for clinicians. Multiple coplanar, tomographic images from different viewing angels are obtained. In real-time frame rates this results in an single compound image.

METHODS: In this study, seven patients with tumors or other pathologies of the head and neck region were examined using the fundamental mode versus the "SonoCT trade mark Real-time Compound Imaging" mode. Image resolution and subjective quality of these sonographic images were compared.

RESULTS: In all cases the results were improved by use of the "SonoCT trade mark Real-time Compound Imaging" mode. The contrast was better and the image resolution was higher compared to "fundamental" mode.

CONCLUSIONS: "SonoCT trade mark Real-time Compound Imaging" has been developed to acquire and to process ultrasound images in a new and different way. This new method provides increased image contrast, a reduction of inherent artifacts of conventional ultrasound and overall gain of quality within sonographical imaging.