Becoming a musculoskeletal ultrasonographer

Abstract

Over the last decade, increasing numbers of rheumatologists have incorporated musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) as a valuable diagnostic tool into their clinical practice. Some countries have established training programmes for MSUS. The European League Against Rheumatism has developed education guidelines for the content and conductance of MSUS courses and it would be useful to standardise rheumatology MSUS training worldwide. A thorough knowledge of anatomy, US physics and technology, US scanning methods, US pattern of normal and pathological musculoskeletal tissues, definitions for US pathology, artefacts and pitfalls in both greyscale and Doppler modalities is necessary to perform efficient MSUS. MSUS training includes attending theoretical-practical and online courses, as well as studying textbooks and using digital video discs (DVDs). Having access to US equipment and performing supervised normal and pathological MSUS examinations for a training period are mandatory for consolidating MSUS learning. A proposal to accredit and certificate competence in MSUS is now being discussed.Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Musculoskeletal ultrasound basisUltrasonography (US) is an imaging technique based on the emission and reception of mechanical sound waves with a frequency greater than the hearing frequency range of the human ear (i.e., 20 kilohertz (kHz)) by piezoelectric crystals located inside the transducer or probe. Ultrasound wave

Educational quality of YouTube videos on musculoskeletal ultrasound

“…Ultrasound (US) is a non-invasive, dynamic, and relatively inexpensive imaging modality that allows a multi-planar evaluation of the musculoskeletal system [ 1 ]. Although traditionally performed mainly by radiologists, this imaging technique has become an essential tool for many rheumatologists in their clinical practice in the last two decades [ 2 ].…”

“…Guidelines have been developed and educational courses have been organized through regulated efforts by professional organizations, such as the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) [ 5 ]. Despite all these efforts, the MSUS training of rheumatologists is still not at the desired level [ 1 ].…”

“…In a study conducted by the British Society for Rheumatology, 75% of rheumatologists stated that the reason why they did not use ultrasound was the lack of training on MSUS [ 1 ]. As MSUS is a highly applicator-dependent imaging method, appropriate training is extremely important [ 6 ].…”

“…Guidance by a mentor is considered an appropriate form of US training. Regrettably, only a restricted number of experts have adequate time to train [ 1 ]. In addition, considering that the education sector has been disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, similar to all the other sectors, e-learning may represent an alternative and a complementary form to traditional MSUS training [ 6 , 7 ].…”

“…In addition, considering that the education sector has been disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, similar to all the other sectors, e-learning may represent an alternative and a complementary form to traditional MSUS training [ 6 , 7 ]. The online MSUS course organized by EULAR is a striking example for online education, which has focused on teaching basic skills related to MSUS since 2012 and assists hands-on MSUS learning [ 1 ].…”