Ultrasonographic evaluation of the tongue and the floor of the mouth: normal and pathological findings.

An ultrasonographic study of the tongue and the floor of the mouth was performed in 30 healthy children (aged from 1 day to 15 years) in order to assess the normal US anatomy of this region. The scans were performed in sagittal and coronal planes with a 7.5-mHz transducer. Moreover, 22 children (aged from 1 day to 15 years) presenting with various clinical symptoms underwent US examination. This series included infectious and congenital diseases. The US findings were correlated with surgery and pathology in 19 cases, with the clinical follow-up in 2 cases and with the nuclear study in 1 case. In each case, US could anatomically locate the lesion with very good accuracy. We conclude that US of the tongue and the floor of the mouth in children yields overall very good accuracy in the investigation of diseases of this region. In this study, our purpose was (1) to evaluate the normal sonographic anatomy of the tongue and the floor of the mouth in children and (2) to determine whether it was possible to correctly localize various lesions and to evaluate their nature in order to guide the therapeutic approach.