Application of Doppler ultrasonography in congenital vascular lesions of the head and neck.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the value of Doppler ultrasonography in the assessment of congenital vascular lesions of the maxillofacial region.


METHODS
27 new patients with 36 congenital vascular lesions in the maxillofacial region as well as 10 patients previously treated with cryotherapy underwent ultrasonography (US) with a 6.0-10.0 MHz broadband linear transducer (reference Doppler frequency 7.5 MHz). Initial grey-scale US was followed by Color Doppler, Power Doppler and spectral Doppler studies. The presence or absence of flow was noted. In areas of high vascularity the number of vessels within a 1 cm(2) restricted region of interest were increased by spectral Doppler.


RESULTS
US allowed differentiation of seven hemangiomas from other congenital vascular lesions and thus appropriate treatment of patients. Low flow vessels were demonstrated within the scars of five lesions previously treated with cryotherapy, requiring further intervention.


CONCLUSIONS
Doppler US is a widely available, non-invasive and relatively inexpensive technique which can be used to characterize the flow of head and neck vascular anomalies and thus differentiate hemangiomas from other vascular malformations.
Rózylo-Kalinowska
I
I
II Department of General Radiology, Medical University of Lublin, ul Dudzińskiego 42, 20-815 Lublin 56, Poland.
Brodzisz
A
A
Gałkowska
E
E
Rózylo
T K
TK
Wieczorek
A P
AP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001165:Arteriovenous Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003452:Cryosurgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color