• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.170-186
• /
• 2001

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) has newly evolved by the mechanical improvement of the machine over past several years, becoming a part of imaging techniques for the evaluation of variable diseases in the musculoskeletal system. MSUS has proven diagnostic superiority in pathologies including rotator cuff disease of the shoulder, lateral epicondylitis of the elbow, diseases of the peripheral nerve, detection of intra-articular loose bodies and soft tissue foreign bodies, and in evaluating small superficial soft tissue tumors such as ganglion, epidermoid cyst, and glomus tumor. Besides, MSUS is very useful for obtaining tissue or fluid via percutaneous fine needle aspiration and/or biopsy for the histopathologic diagnosis. Combining MSUS with MR would play a great role in the field of the diagnostic imaging of the musculoskeletal system. The MSUS examiner should have the knowledge of cross-sectional anatomy, and of the mechanical and physical properties of ultrasound in order to interpret the ultrasound findings accurately and properly, and to avoid diagnostic errors due to variable artifacts subsequently. The goal of this article is to introduce the capabilities of MSUS in certain kinds of clinical situation and to familiarize the reader with MSUS. For the purpose, author intends to describe this article according not to the disease-, or organ-based, but to the clinical problem-based format.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.68-72
• /
• 2006

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is one of the most common malignant salivary gland neoplasm. It occurs over a wide age range, and is most common in the parotid gland and usually appears as an asymptomatic swelling. Pain or facial nerve palsy may develop. Minor salivary gland tumors also typically appear as asymptomatic swellings, which are sometimes fluctuant and have blue or red color that can be mistaken clinically for a mucocele. Histopathologically the mucoepidermoid carcinoma is composed of a mixture of mucous-producing cells and squamous (epidermoid) cells. Low-grade tumors show prominent cyst formation, minimal cellular atypia, and relatively high proportion of mucous cells. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the minor salivary glands are treated usually by assured surgical excision. For low-grade neoplasm, only a modest margin of surrounding normal tissue may need to be removed, but high-grade or large tumors warrant wider resection. Postoperative radiation therapy also may be used for more aggressive tumors. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the oral minor salivary glands generally have a good prognosis, because they are mostly low-to intermediate grade tumors. We present a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma managed with surgical enucleation and postoperative irradiation and a good clinical result with review of literatures.