Emergency Ultrasound of the Gall Bladder: Comparison of a Concentrated Elective Experience vs. Longitudinal Exposure During Residency
The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 05/03/2012

Jang TB et al. – Physicians who participated in a 2–week, semi–structured emergency ultrasound (EUS) elective demonstrated EUS accuracy for biliary disease that was comparable with those who performed the same number of examinations over a longer period of time.

• This was a secondary analysis of a previously reported prospective study of EUS for biliary disease.
• The 21st-40th examinations were compared between those who participated in an EUS elective and those who did not.
• The gold standard was ultrasound done by the Department of Radiology.

• Mean time to complete 40 EUS examinations for biliary disease was 14months for those participating in an EUS elective compared with 29 months for those who did not.
• One hundred and ninety-one examinations (49%) were done by 19 operators who did not participate in an EUS elective and 202 examinations (51%) were done by 23 operators who completed an EUS elective.
• There was no statistical difference between the two groups with regard to detecting the presence of gall stones, gall bladder wall thickening, pericholecystic free fluid, ductal dilation, or sludge.