Objectives: The purpose of this study was to establish standards for musculoskeletal ultrasound competency through knowledge and skills testing using criterion-referenced methods.
Methods: Two groups of rheumatology fellows trained in musculoskeletal ultrasound through a standardized curriculum, which required submission of ultrasound studies for review over 8 months. Both groups then completed written and practical examinations in musculoskeletal ultrasound. Instructors, advanced users, and intermediate users of musculoskeletal ultrasound served as comparison groups. A passing score (competency) was established for the written examination by the Angoff procedure and for the practical examination by the borderline method.
Results: Thirty-eight fellows (19 in each group) took the final examination. Five fellows failed the written examination, and 1 failed the practical examination, whereas none of the advanced users failed. Written examination scores did not differ between the two fellow groups (74% versus 70%; P > .05), were reliable, and were able to discriminate between the intermediate and advanced groups. Practical and written examination results correlated in both groups (first group, r = 0.70; P = .0008; second group, r = 0.59; P = .009).
Conclusions: Criterion-referenced methods were used for the first time to determine fellow musculoskeletal ultrasound competency. The examination used to determine competency was reproducible, was reliable, and could differentiate musculoskeletal ultrasound users with different levels of experience. Most rheumatology fellows completing our program passed the written and practical examinations, suggesting achievement of basic musculoskeletal ultrasound competency.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.7863/ultra.32.10.1735 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192, Japan.
Deep learning-based image segmentation has allowed for the fully automated, accurate, and rapid analysis of musculoskeletal (MSK) structures from medical images. However, current approaches were either applied only to 2D cross-sectional images, addressed few structures, or were validated on small datasets, which limit the application in large-scale databases. This study aimed to validate an improved deep learning model for volumetric MSK segmentation of the hip and thigh with uncertainty estimation from clinical computed tomography (CT) images.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Pain and Rehabilitation, Regen Clinic, Taipei, TWN.
Cervical radiculopathies are commonly treated with nerve root injections. This study presents a novel ultrasound (US)-guided cervical transforaminal injection technique using a curved transducer to enhance visualization of the anterior wall of the superior articular process and achieve successful epidural spread of injection. A 56-year-old patient with chronic C6 radiculopathy was treated using our US-guided approach with a combination of 5% dextrose and vitamin B12, leading to significant improvement in symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsia Ocean J Nucl Med Biol
January 2025
Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Shraiati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of [Ga]-Ga-FAPI-46 and [F]-FDG PET/CT imaging for the detection of lesions and disease staging in breast cancer.
Methods: Twelve female patients with breast cancer (mean age= 49.2±13.
Am J Sports Med
January 2025
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Background: Benign bone lesions are a common incidental finding in athletes during workup for musculoskeletal complaints, and athletes are frequently advised to halt participation in contact sports. There are no current guidelines to assist clinicians in referring patients with these lesions to a subspecialist or in advising athletes on the safety of returning to sport.
Purpose: To assist sports medicine physicians in appropriate referral for patients with benign bone lesions through presentation of a literature review and the case of an adolescent athlete with a benign bone lesion in a location with a significant fracture risk.
Bone Joint J
January 2025
King's Foot and Ankle Unit, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Hallux valgus (HV) presents as a common forefoot deformity that causes problems with pain, mobility, footwear, and quality of life. The most common open correction used in the UK is the Scarf and Akin osteotomy, which has good clinical and radiological outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction when used to treat a varying degrees of deformity. However, there are concerns regarding recurrence rates and long-term outcomes.
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