[Real-time ultrasonics: a method of hand imaging].

Seventy-five surgically soft-tissue lesions of the hand were examined prospectively by real-time ultrasound and correlated with surgical and pathological findings. The normal ultrasonic anatomy of the hand is described. The use of real time sonography allowed a reliable diagnosis of the cystic or solid nature of soft-tissue tumors, an accurate estimation of their volume and their precise three-dimensional localization. Sonography facilitates the location of foreign bodies, and appears as a new promising technique for the evaluation of tendons.