Ultrasound of the salivary glands

To a surgeon, a patient presenting with a salivary gland mass is a common clinical problem. Often palpation alone is insufficient to identify the nature and origin of the mass and imaging is often necessary. High resolution US is well established [1,2] as an initial investigation of choice for the salivary glands. US can be easily combined with fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) which further enhances its ability to differentiate between benign and malignant masses.