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At the recent meeting of the Eastern Section of the Triological Society in Toronto, Canada, Drs Linda Brodsky, F. Glen Seidel, J. Brian Same, and Debby Korwin of The Children's Hospital of Buffalo (NY) presented a study on comparing the use of computed tomography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of inflammatory masses of the neck in children. Ten patients who presented with a primary clinical diagnosis of neck abscess were compared for clinical/radiologic presentations and treatment outcome. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were comparable in the depiction of the overall size of the mass, while ultrasound usually showed a mass of much smaller dimension when compared with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Computed tomography was positive for abscess in all 10 patients, while magnetic resonance imaging was only able to accurately predict an abscess when there was a large collection of purulent material present. Ultrasound