[History of ultrasound diagnosis in the head and neck].

The history of ultrasonography of the head and neck region begins in the 1970s, initially with one-dimensional A-scan examinations and later on with two-dimensional imaging using linear and compound scanners. In the early 1980s dynamic developments took place, not only in terms of the technical possibilities presented by ultrasonography but also in terms of broadened medical applications in all specialties. Progressing from analog to digital image processing, colour coding and combining B-mode with Doppler technology provided for improved topographic, structural and functional analysis. All this highlights the importance of ultrasonography in the armamentarium of clinical and imaging diagnostics. © Springer-Verlag 2010