Evaluation of saline versus gel as contact medium for ultrasonographic image quality.

Objectives: Evaluate the time taken to visualize the internal jugular vein and carotid arteries, and subjective image quality assessed on a 0-100 visual analogic scale, on an ultrasound model using either traditional ultrasound gel or normal saline.

Methods: Twenty-two anesthesiology residents and twenty anesthesiology faculty were blinded and randomized into four separate groups using gel and saline as a conduction medium, in different sequences.

Results: Subjective image quality was 12.