Work in progress: intraoperative ultrasonography of the spine.

We demonstrate the application of intraoperative real-time ultrasound sector scanning in two patients who had spinal tumors. The scans were obtained through a 4- to 5-cm deep, saline-filled operative field. Ultrasonography imaged the tumors, the relationships of the lesions to the spinal cords, and the normal internal structures of the cords themselves. The technique could prove useful in certain forms of spinal surgery.