Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Scanning Protocol Consensus Statements on Scanning Conventions and Documentation in the U.S

• Published in: Arthritis care & research (2010)
• Main Authors: Torralba, Karina D, Choi, Kristal S, Salto, Lorena M, Fairchild, Robert, Cannella, Amy C, Kissin, Eugene Y, Thiele, Ralf, Evangelisto, Amy, Nishio, Midori J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 14.06.2019
• ISSN: 2151-4658

There has been increased engagement with ultrasound in rheumatology (RhUS) in the United States with more physicians being trained and certified, its inclusion in fellowship training curricula, and as criteria in the evaluation of rheumatic disease patients. European rheumatology and Radiology-determined standards have largely driven the execution of RhUS; how this translates to American rheumatology practice has not been examined. A 2011 rheumatology-driven consensus on documentation, scanning conventions, and tiered-mastery designation for anatomic region views was developed, which served as the framework for training, and clinical research validation. This study aims to update this consensus to reflect current utilization of musculoskeletal RhUS evaluation in the United States. A 3-round Delphi method study was conducted using a 96-item questionnaire sent via Qualtrics to 101 respondents experienced in RhUS education and scholarship. The target participant number was 38. High agreement was defined as ≥ 85% agreement on each item. McNemar's chi-square statistic tested for changes in agreement in responses. Comments were reviewed for content analysis. 46 respondents completed all three rounds. 80% and 100% of documentation and scanning convention statements, respectively, reached high agreement. Comments reflected the need for rheumatology-defined and disease-specific "complete scan" and "limited scan" definitions, separate from radiology-defined definitions. Many scanning conventions from 2011 remain relevant in current practice. There is a need to determine rheumatology-defined descriptions for common procedural terminology codes for "complete" and "limited" scans that accurately reflect the current state of RhUS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.