Impact of ultrasound in diagnosis of pediatric superficial masses in head and neck.

Abstract

Background: Neck masses are frequently encountered in pediatric medicine, and can present a diagnostic dilemma for the clinicians involved. Aim: to determine the impact of ultrasound in diagnosis of superficial masses in head and neck in pediatric. Methods: This is a review article. The search was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, Pubmed and CINAHL Plus in the same date range with the following medical terms: “Ultrasound; Pediatric; mass; head; neck”, including articles from 2000 to 2019. Results: In this review, the US findings are described for a variety of common and uncommon pediatric head and neck masses diagnosed in our practice. Specifically, the entities covered include neonatal scalp hematoma, craniosynostosis, dermoid and epidermoid cysts, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, lymph nodes and their complications, fibromatosis colli, thyroglossal duct cyst, branchial cleft cyst, cervical thymus, congenital goiter, thyroid papillary carcinoma, parathyroid adenoma, hemangioma, lymphangioma, jugular vein phlebectasia, acute parotitis, leukemia and/or lymphoma, neurogenic tumor, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Conclusion: Duplex US has emerged as the first-line imaging modality for the evaluation of superficial pediatric masses. Without the use of ionizing radiation, iodinated contrast material, or sedation and/or anesthesia, this safe, quick, and cost-effective imaging modality allows rapid evaluation and characterization of masses.