Ultrasound of Smaller Body Parts

Who Needs a Small Parts Ultrasound?

The thyroid gland, located in the front part of the neck, is one of many glands which produces hormones to regulate body functions. An ultrasound of this region shows the thyroid gland and surrounding neck structures. Your doctor may refer you for this ultrasound due to a palpable mass or abnormal thyroid function test. You may also need a thyroid ultrasound to see if existing lumps have changed over time.

Salivary Glands Ultrasound

Humans have 3 pairs of main salivary glands (saliva-producing glands). Parotid glands are found in front of and just below each ear. Submandibular glands are below the jaw. Sublingual glands are under the tongue. Sialadenitis is an infection or inflammation of one or several of these glands. It can be acute or chronic.  A salivary stone or other blockage of the salivary gland duct can contribute to infection and inflammation.You may need a salivary glands ultrasound if you are experiencing pain and swelling in the face or upper neck.

Neck Ultrasound

There are several other structures in the neck besides thyroid and salivary glands, which can be assessed by neck ultrasound, such as lymph nodes, neck cysts, and tonsils.Lumps in the neck are extremely common. The tendency on finding a lump is to worry that it might be cancer. In fact, the vast majority of neck lumps are not cancer, particularly in children and younger adults.

By far the most likely cause of a neck lump is a swollen lymph node. There are more than 100 lymph nodes in the human neck. Most of the time you don't know they are there and you can't feel them. If you get an infection, or inflammation, they become enlarged as part of the way your body responds.

A number of unusual lumps can occur that either people are born with (congenital) or which occurred as part of slightly abnormal development. These include unusual conditions such as:

• 
  Thyroglossal cyst
• 
  Dermoid cyst
• 
  Cystic hygroma
• 
  Branchial cyst
• 
  An extra (cervical) rib

Testicular Ultrasound

Testicular ultrasound can be done for baby-boys as well as for adult men.

Testicles form in the abdomen during fetal development. During the last couple of months of normal fetal development, the testicles gradually descend from the abdomen through a tube-like passageway in the groin (inguinal canal) into the scrotum. With an undescended testicle, that process stops or is delayed.

Undescended testicles (also known as cryptorchidism) is a condition in which one or both of a baby boy's testicles have not moved down into their proper place in the scrotum. A testicular ultrasound examines the testes as well as surrounding structures. It is used to see if a palpable mass is a tumor or something else.

You may also need this type of ultrasound to diagnose the cause of testicular pain or swelling, look for possible causes of infertility, or diagnose and treat injury. Pain and swelling could be symptoms of testicular torsion or inflammation. Testicular torsion is a medical emergency diagnosed by ultrasound.

Superficial Changes

An ultrasound of new lumps, bumps, and hematomas can help your doctor determine if there is a cause for concern. Superficial swelling, masses, cysts, hernias and hematomas that are located near the skin surface can be carefully examined with this type of ultrasound.

A hernia is a gap in the muscular wall that allows the contents inside the abdomen to protrude outward. There are different types of hernias, but the most common hernias occur in the belly or groin areas.

The big advantage of ultrasound is the ability to see movement of hernia content in dynamic study when a patient is applying internal pressure.