How can you become a well-known ultrasound specialist? A good imaging skill as well as a skilled eye and a vast medical background aren’t enough. Here are some crucial strategies to assist you in your quest to help you become a master of ultrasound.
1.) Be aware of what you’re trying to find
Imagine that you drop the bag full of items. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to find out what was in the bag first? This is also true for ultrasound. It is essential to conduct an “complete” examination. But do we ever pay attention to every aspect of our heart even if we’re not looking for something particular?
For instance, it’s easy to overlook this tiny fibroelastoma when you don’t be aware that the patient experienced cerebrovascular events:
My suggestion isto speak to your patients, ask for more information from your treating physician, study their records and review studies using other imaging techniques.
2) Observe-describe-interpret
We tend to make assumptions too quickly. We might see one or two diagnosis and assume that we know what’s happening. However, be aware that statistics’ laws state that the impossible can happen at times.
Here’s an example of this Here’s an example: We discovered a massive mass of lung artery of a person with deep vein thrombosis chronic hypertension in the pulmonary artery and right high heart pressure.
You could say that it’s a thrombus you think? But it’s not quite. It was later discovered to be an rhabdomyosarcoma which was growing in the pulmonary arterial.
My advice: first, observe and then give a thorough description (size and location, echogenicity and so on.) and then make your own interpretation. You should, however, offer other possible diagnosis. So, you’ll never get completely off track.
3.) Be brave enough to be unsure
The interpretation of ultrasound findings is generally not a black and white problem. Keep in mind that “eyeballing” is an essential role in ultrasound “is the appearance of the organ normal , or is it an internal tumor hiding there?” “Is mitral regurgitation moderate or mild?” “What about regional wall motion anomalies?” And most importantly “how do you determine “the” left ventricle functioning?”
Recently, I posted this 4-chamber image in Facebook and asked our friends what they thought of the left ventricular function of this patient.
The comments varied from normal to very diminished. What’s my view? In truth, I’m not certain either. I would say that it is likely to be in the moderately reduced range. The ventricle is exhibiting this abnormal motionthat renders it difficult to assess. This will be exactly the way I’d say within the document. The report would read like this: “Difficult interpretation of LVF due to an abnormal septal movement likely moderately diminished LVF.
Do not be scared of words like “probably”, “could be”, “might be”, “unclear” or “it appears”. I believe these words are significant because they convey an amount of uncertainty. In the end, they can help increase the trust of you as well as your physician who you refer to. Why? Because they prove that you’re honest.
4.) Talk to others
I often do this and everyone requires to get a second opinion or assistance. This is because it’s the ability to rely on “collective intelligence” that has resulted in such rapid advancements in the field of science. Why don’t we utilize it more often in the field of ultrasound. Here’s an example Are you aware of what the next off-axis subcostal views show?
I wasn’t aware of it until a few years ago until I showed the test to a friend in radiology. She explained to me the symptoms associated with Polycystic Syndrome. This is exactly what this patient suffered from. The lesson hereis to ask others for help, and your expertise will grow, your work will improve and your coworkers will trust you.
I’m aware that it’s sometimes difficult to locate an instructor. Even if there isn’t anyone who is available to assist – there is the Internet to find numerous forums where you can post your concerns, queries and much more.
5.) Follow up with your patients
Have you ever encountered the following scenario? You encounter a patient who has odd pathology and are not sure what’s. You report it on your report, and the patient is taken away from the lab then goes home. You’ve completed your work, but after a few hours or perhaps a week or two, you’ve lost track of the patient.
One of the biggest errors I observe among the trainees is that they don’t monitor their patients. A lot of them don’t want to discover what transpired out of them or what the problem they noticed was. A tumor? Vegetation? Maybe an the thrombus? The procedure went as planned? What did the autopsy reveal? What was the result of the autopsy?
Sometimes it’s simple to determine the cause. Contact the patient to have a second test. Here’s an example of a patient suffering from extreme mitral regurgitation, along with high pulmonary pressure and I was trying to figure out what his” LVF truly was before surgery (left).After surgery to repair MV (right) the pressure in the pulmonary artery decreased dramatically (no “D ventricle shaped” any more) however, it is evident that the LVF is deteriorating. This indicates that we did not realize that Left Ventricular Dysfunction was present prior to surgery. A lower afterload as well as the D ventricle’s shape hindered us from identifying the problem prior to surgery.
Here’s my suggestion Create the list of patients you have to follow-up with. Take a few hours towards the close of the week to review the list. Study the outcomes that your patient has achieved. Play the role of a detective to stop your “loop of knowledge”.
