Effectiveness of ultrasonography in detecting intraosseous vascularization: an in-vitro study

Abstract

Ultrasonography is useful to diagnose lesions, insofar as it detects the type of injury, and to assess the degree of vascularization of tumors. However, intraosseous lesions may represent a challenge, since the surrounding bone thickness could prevent ultrasound signal capture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the infl uence of surrounding bone thickness on the ability of ultrasonography in capturing the echo signal of blood vessels. Macerated porcine hemimandibles (n = 20) with different buccal bone thicknesses were prepared and adapted to receive CFlex-type rubber tubes connected to a glass capillary through which pump-driven water was conducted to simulate blood vasculature. Doppler ultrasonography was used to assess the blood fl ow in the region of the mandibular canal at the level of the molar teeth. Student’s t-test was used to assess differences between the bone thicknesses of hemimandibles with a negative and with a positive ultrasound signal. The presence of the echo signal in the simulated vasculature was assessed by ultrasonography. Reproducibility and reliability were confi rmed for the analyses. The simulated fl ow signal was captured in cortical bones with a thickness in the 0.2–1.0 mm range (0.59 ± 0.42 mm), but was not captured in those with a thickness greater than 1.0 mm (1.39 ± 0.59 mm). In conclusion, ultrasonography can be used to investigate intraosseous vascularization in mandibular areas with a buccal bone thickness up to 1.0 mm.