Unit of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Department of Translational Research and of New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2020 Oct 1;49(7):20190318. doi: 10.1259/dmfr.20190318. Epub 2020 May 29.
Ultra-high frequency ultrasound (UHFUS) is a recently developed diagnostic technique involving the use of ultrasound frequencies up to 70 MHz, allowing to obtain 30 µm resolution of targets located within 1 cm from the surface. Oral mucosa can be affected by diverse pathological conditions, which are currently investigated by means of clinical examination. In this scenario, intraoral UHFUS can provide additional information and support clinical assessment of oral mucosa. In this preliminary study, typical features of normal oral mucosa are described, in order to set a benchmark for the future identification of oral soft tissue alterations.
Twenty healthy subjects (10 males and 10 females, mean age 30 years) were enrolled and underwent intraoral UHFUS examination. In all the subjects, tongue, buccal mucosa, gingiva, lip mucosa, and palate were scanned, and images acquired. Intraoral UHFUS scan included Brightness-mode and Doppler mode acquisitions performed with a standardized protocol. UHFUS images were postprocessed and analyzed using a dedicated software. UHFUS-based biomarkers (epithelial thickness, echogenicity, and vascularization) were employed for image description.
Normal oral anatomy of the different sites analyzed was described. For all the sites, UHFUS biomarkers were characterized, and information on typical aspect of oral mucosa was retrieved.
In this explorative study, we suggest a potential role for intraoral UHFUS in the study of oral mucosa, giving insights into the possibility to improve the assessment, diagnosis, and management of the conditions involving oral mucosa. UHFUS seems a promising tool, which could potentially support clinical examination in daily oral medicine practice.
超高频超声（UHFUS）是一种最近开发的诊断技术，涉及使用高达 70MHz 的超声频率，能够获得距离表面 1cm 以内的目标 30µm 的分辨率。口腔黏膜可受到多种病理状况的影响，目前通过临床检查进行研究。在这种情况下，口腔内 UHFUS 可以提供额外的信息，并支持对口腔黏膜的临床评估。在这项初步研究中，描述了正常口腔黏膜的典型特征，为未来识别口腔软组织改变奠定了基础。
招募了 20 名健康受试者（10 名男性和 10 名女性，平均年龄 30 岁），并进行了口腔内 UHFUS 检查。在所有受试者中，均对舌、颊黏膜、牙龈、唇黏膜和腭进行了扫描，并获取了图像。口腔内 UHFUS 扫描包括使用标准化方案进行的亮度模式和多普勒模式采集。使用专用软件对 UHFUS 图像进行后处理和分析。使用 UHFUS 生物标志物（上皮厚度、回声和血管化）进行图像描述。
描述了分析的不同部位的正常口腔解剖结构。对于所有部位，均对 UHFUS 生物标志物进行了特征描述，并获取了有关口腔黏膜典型特征的信息。
在这项探索性研究中，我们提出了口腔内 UHFUS 在口腔黏膜研究中的潜在作用，深入了解了改善涉及口腔黏膜的疾病的评估、诊断和管理的可能性。UHFUS 似乎是一种很有前途的工具，有可能在日常口腔医学实践中支持临床检查。
