Ultrasound International Open – Recently Published

European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) Policy Document Development Strategy – Clinical Practice Guidelines, Position Statements and Technological Reviews 

Christian Jenssen, Odd Helge Gilja, Andreas L. Serra et al.

DOI: 10.1055/a-0770-3965

This document summarizes principles and methodology to guide the creation of Clinical Practice Guidelines, Position Statements und Technological Reviews of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB). The purpose of EFSUMB Clinical Practice Guidelines is to provide physicians and sonographers performing or requesting diagnostic and interventional ultrasound examinations with evidence-based recommendations.

EFSUMB Recommendations for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound Part 3: Endorectal, Endoanal and Perineal Ultrasound 

Dieter Nuernberg, Adrian Saftoiu, Ana Paula Barreiros et al.

DOI: 10.1055/a-0825-6708

This article represents part 3 of the EFSUMB Recommendations and Guidelines for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS). It provides an overview of the examination techniques recommended by experts in the field of endorectal/endoanal ultrasound (ERUS/EAUS), as well as perineal ultrasound (PNUS).

Fig. 3 Radial endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) elastography showing a hard (low strain) perirectal lymph node (red arrows) in a patient with concomitant rectal adenocarcinoma. A balloon surrounding the transducer is inflated with water to improve acoustic coupling with the rectal wall (courtesy of Adrian Săftoiu, Elena Tatiana Ivan).

Pediatric Transthoracic Cardiac Vector Flow Imaging – A Preliminary Pictorial Study 

Kristoffer Lindskov Hansen, Klaus Juul, Hasse Møller-Sørensen et al.

DOI: 10.1055/a-0656-5430

Conventional pediatric echocardiography is crucial for diagnosing congenital heart disease (CHD), but the technique is impaired by angle dependency. Vector flow imaging (VFI) is an angle-independent noninvasive ultrasound alternative for blood flow assessment and can assess complex flow patterns not visible on conventional Doppler ultrasound.

Fig. 1 Blood flow in the right a and left b ventricle. Frames are recorded on two healthy newborns in apical four-chamber view. The direction and velocity of the blood flow are given by the corresponding color maps and indicated by the superimposed vector arrows. rv = right ventricle, lv = left ventricle.