title: Intraoral ultrasonography of tongue mass lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the usefulness of intraoral ultrasonography (IOUS) for tongue mass lesions, we analyzed surgery cases excluding squamous-cell carcinoma and leukoplakia and compared IOUS and pathological findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the hospital information system and Radiology Information System to evaluate the IOUS and pathological findings of patients who underwent surgeries for tongue masses in the past 11 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surgeries for the tongues were performed in 268 cases. Imaging examinations were carried out in 52 (19.4%) cases including 42 (15.7%) cases by IOUS. The pathological results of the surgeries were as follows: 36 cases were inflammatory lesions, 74 cases were tumours, 131 cases were hyperplasia, 8 cases were cystic lesions and 19 cases were other miscellaneous lesions. On the other hand, the number of patients who received IOUS in the same period was 87, and 42 of them had surgeries. In 32 out of the 42 (76.2%) cases, pre-operative IOUS features matched with pathological results. Most of the haemangiomas and lipomas could be diagnosed by IOUS alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IOUS of the tongue revealed the nature of the lesions including the border, size, location, depth, the presence or absence of a capsule and the internal structure including vascularity of the mass. The ultrasonographic findings well reflected the histological findings. IOUS is a simple and useful technique that provides additional information beyond inspection, clarifying the internal structure, blood flow and relationships with the adjacent tissues. In this article, we indicated 11 representative cases (fibrous polyp, haemangioma, pyogenic granuloma, lipoma, liposarcoma, chondroma, lymphangioma, schwannoma, neurofibroma, pleomorphic adenoma and amyloidosis) to show the usefulness of IOUS.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Oral Surgery, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiaki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Oral Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasusei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Oral Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Naozumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishimaru
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Oral Surgery, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Youji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: intraoral ultrasonography; tongue mass lesions; tongue tumours; ultrasonographic features