Contribution to A-mode (“amplitude modulate”) Sonography. Fundamentals ofSonographic Diagnosis of Diseases of the Paranasal Sinuses

Overview

The authors summarize in the submitted paper the basic findings on sonography andits application in otolaryngology in examinations of the paranasal sinuses. They present alsofindings on the physical principles of sonography needed for correct implementation and evaluationof sonographic findings of A mode sonography of the paranasal sinuses.The authors submit recommendations for the basic clinical classification of findings of A-modesonography of the paranasal sinuses in three basic categories. A-mode sonography of the paranasalsinuses is a method which they recommend for clinical practice. The main advantages of sonographyof the paranasal sinuses is the diagnosis of acute inflammations of the paranasal sinuses withminimal burdening of the patient and the possibility to follow-up the course of treatment in acuteinflammations. In children above three years and in pregnant women A mode sonography isaccording to the authors the method of choice. Other advantages of the method are low cost andadequate accuracy of the findings in particular for the diagnosis of acute inflammations of theparanasal sinuses.The authors also draw attention to the pitfalls of the A mode sonographic diagnosis in the area ofparanasal sinuses. They mention in particular that it does not replace X-ray examination (inparticular CT) and that it is not a method for detection of tumours of the paranasal sinuses.Disagreement between the clinical picture and the finding on A mode sonography is an indicationfor further diagnostic procedures. If the examination is correctly performed and its results arecorrectly and critically evaluated the examination is diagnostically reliable.

Key words:
sonography amplitude modulate, basic principles of sonography, classification ofsonographic findings.