ULTRASONIC ANATOMY OF TONGUE IN THE PRENATAL PERIOD OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction. The study of the issues of ultrasonic anatomy of the tongue in the prenatal period is relevant for obtaining new data on the process of tongue development, as well as improving the diagnosis of its anomalies. Aim - to review the scientific data on issue of the ultrasonic anatomy of the tongue in the prenatal period of human development. Materials and methods. The study is a review of the scientific data over the past 16 years was carried out In Russian and English. Theoretical and empirical generalization, as well as structural analysis of data, were applied. Results. According to recent data, the use of ultrasound allows us to assess the external structure, position, arterial blood supply and venous outflow of the tongue, describe the morphometric parameters, and also register the movements of the fetal tongue, which makes it possible to diagnose anomalies in the development of the organs of the orofacial region. In the largest number of publications reviewed, issues of the external structure and position of the tongue in the oral cavity were raised. In a smaller number of works, the issues of ultrasonic morphometry of the human tongue in the prenatal period of development are covered. Conclusions. Further study of issues that have not been sufficiently covered to date is relevant for the development of imaging methods for in vivo diagnosis, as well as surgical methods for correcting congenital pathology.