Use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in preoperative planning before resection of a second branchial cleft fistula

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rink, Maximilian^{a; *} | Jung, Ernst-Michael^b | Bohr, Christopher^a | Künzel, Julian^a

Affiliations: [a] Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Regensburg, Head and Neck Surgery, Regensburg, Germany | [b] Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Maximilian Rink, University Hospital Regensburg, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 0 9419449410; E-mail: maximilian.rink@ukr.de.

Abstract: In the head and neck area, a large proportion of clinically relevant fistulas occur in childhood. The present case describes the use of contrast enhanced ultrasound with intraductal administration of the contrast medium for preoperative visualization of the fistula duct in the case of a second brachial cleft fistula. This provided the surgeon with important additional information, such as the detailed course of the fistula and its relation to the large vessels of the neck. The method can help to improve surgical planning, reduce radiation exposure and to avoid imaging under general anesthesia, especially in children.

Keywords: Contrast enhanced ultrasound, CEUS, branchial cleft fistula, intraductal CEUS, CEUS fistulography

DOI: 10.3233/CH-231862

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 83-86, 2023