Abdominal and miscellaneous applications of intraoperative ultrasound.

Intraoperative sonography is rapidly becoming a key diagnostic tool within the operative suite. Important applications are defined within the abdomen, vascular system, and other regions of the body. Intraoperative scanning may better define the normal anatomy and target pathology than preoperative studies. As with neurosurgical applications of intraoperative ultrasound, with the use of high-resolution, high-frequency real-time transducers, multiple transducer frequencies within one probe, and probe shapes specifically designed for certain types of operations, it is anticipated that the surgical use of intraoperative ultrasound will greatly increase in the future.