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What All Medical Professional Should Know About Pediatric Ultrasound

According to a recent medical journal study, Pneumonia contributes to between 750,000 and 1.2 million neonatal deaths each year worldwide. Diagnosis of pneumonia is sometimes difficult and lack of exact definitions for pneumonia compounds this problem. It was reported that clinical picture and chest X-ray can miss the diagnosis of pneumonia in neonates in 15% cases. However, chest X-ray is still considered to be the first imaging step for diagnosing pneumonia in children. (The Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear medicine Volume 44, Issue 2, June 2013, Pages 339347 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001915.htm)

Pneumonia is one of the most commonly seen ailments in neonatal and pediatric patients. The disease can easily be diagnosed by ultrasound in a bedside setting, significantly decreasing clinical diagnosis and treatment time. Other common ultrasound-diagnosed pathologies include pyloric stenosis, intussusception, GI obstruction, cardiac defect, deep vein thrombosis, fracture, and testicular torsion, just to name a few.

Current trends have seen an increase in the use of diagnostic ultrasound as a preferred imaging modality, especially in pediatric patients who would have formerly been exposed to potentially high doses of radiation by x-ray, CT, and fluoroscopy. The trend has been so widely accepted that the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) has recently unveiled the Pediatric Sonography (PS) credentialing examination. This credential will certify medical professionals who have an acceptable level of proficiency in performing and interpreting routine pediatric ultrasound examinations. Visit http://www.ardms.com for more information.

While many medical professionals have relied on self-directed information to add pediatric ultrasound into practice, there are still very few opportunities available in regards to formal hands-on education courses. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for pediatric ultrasound training. In order to address this high demand, Gulfcoast Ultrasound Institute has developed two programs designed to offer a comprehensive training program for medical professionals looking to perfect skills in pediatric ultrasound both in emergency / critical care and general clinical settings.