Application of three-dimensional ultrasound for diagnosis of congenital preauricular fistula / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the application of real-time three-dimensional ultrasound in locating the course, the brand and the blind end of internal opening of congenital preauricular fistula.@*Methods@#Congenital preauricular fistula patients from Changhai Hospital were studied. All the cases were evaluated using two-dimensional and three-dimensional ultrasound before surgeries. The surgery findings were utilized as the gold standard. The imaging features of 3D ultrasound were described to determine the accuracy of the blind end location, the course of the main fistula tract and the branch tracts. The diagnosis was compared with the surgery findings.@*Results@#In 89 cases, among which there were 21 branch fistulae. There were 68 bend fistulae without branch. The diagnostic accuracy of both two-dimensional ultrasound and three-dimensional ultrasound was 100%. The accuracy in locating the blind end of internal opening, the course of the branch tracts with 3D ultrasound was 92.1%(82/89), 85.7%(18/21) , compared to 80.9%(72/89), 57.1%(12/21) with 2D ultrasound. It was obvious that 3D ultrasound had more advantages. These differences were statistically significant (χ2=4.8, P<0.05; χ2=4.2, P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#Compared with 2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound can accurately locate the blind end of internal opening, the course, and the branch of preauricular fistula, clearly display the morphology and the spatial structure of preauricular fistulaand its surroundings. It has high clinical application value in preoperative imaging examination.