Outpatient Ultrasound for the Diagnostic Work-up of Oropharynx Cancer

Under local anesthetic with xylocaine spray in the oropharynx, the tonsils and tongue base are scanned with small-footprint, high-frequency ultrasound transducers (such as the 18XL5s hockey-stick from BK Medical)

The tongue base and tonsils are scanned externally via the neck, where a (preferably low-frequency) transducer is placed onto the skin above the hyoid bone to visualize the tongue base. The tonsils are visualized adjacent to the tongue base on either side and are located deep to the submandibular glands in a oblique coronal plane.