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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2020; 24(02): 135-155
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3402060
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Role of Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Soft Tissue Tumors

Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez
1   Department of Radiology, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
2   Department of Radiology, Hospital Nueve de Octubre, Valencia, Spain
,
Costantino Errani
3   Department of Orthopaedic Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
,
Radhesh Lalam
4   Department of Radiology, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oswestry, United Kingdom
,
Violeta Vasilevska Nikodinovska
5   Medical Faculty, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius,” University Surgical Clinic “St. Naum Ohridski,” Skopje, North Macedonia
,
Stefano Fanti
6   Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy
,
Alberto Stefano Tagliafico
7   Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
8   Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
,
Luca Maria Sconfienza
9   IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Unità Operativa di Radiologia Diagnostica ed Interventistica, Milan, Italy
10   Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
,
Alberto Bazzocchi
11   Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History

Publication Date:
21 May 2020 (online)

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Abstract

The vast majority of soft tissue masses are benign. Benign lesions such as superficial lipomas and ganglia are by far the most common soft tissue masses and can be readily identified and excluded on ultrasound (US). US is an ideal triaging tool for superficial soft tissue masses. Compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), High-resolution US is inexpensive, readily available, well tolerated, and safe. It also allows the radiologist to interact with the patient as a clinician. In this review, we describe and illustrate the lesions with typical (diagnostic) US features. When the appearances of the lesion are not typical as expected for a benign lesion, lesions are deep or large, or malignancy is suspected clinically, MRI and biopsy are needed. The management of suspicious soft tissue tumors has to be carefully planned by a multidisciplinary team involving specialized surgeons and pathologists at a tumor center.

Keywords

soft tissue neoplasms - ultrasonography - sarcoma - lipoma - hemangioma