[The subphrenic abscess--possibilities and problems of ultrasound diagnosis (author's transl)].

The article reports on 37 patients subjected to sonographic examination because of the clinically suspected diagnosis of a "subphrenic abscess". In 7 of these patients, the diagnosis "subphrenic abscess" was arrived at via sonographic examination, and was confirmed in 6 cases by surgery and in one case by postmortem examination. The importance of ultrasound diagnosis for early identification of the subphrenic abscess is discussed and the high rate of accuracy is underlined. The author emphasises that even discreet x-ray film symptoms should prompt immediate ultrasonic examination.