Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
Ultrasound-Guided Drainage for Pediatric Soft Tissue Abscesses Decreases Clinical Failure Rates Compared to Drainage Without Ultrasound: A Retrospective Study.
Soft tissue abscesses are common in the pediatric emergency department (ED). Ultrasound (US) can be used to both diagnose soft tissue abscesses as well as guide drainage. We hypothesized that clinical failure rates would be less in pediatric patients with suspected skin abscesses when evaluated with US. ⋯ The use of US for patients with a suspected skin abscess was associated with a reduction in the amount of clinical failure rates after both surgical drainage and nonsurgical therapy. Ultrasound should be used when evaluating or treating patients with abscesses.
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Ultrasound imaging is commonly used to teach basic anatomy to medical students. The purpose of this study was to determine whether learning musculoskeletal anatomy with ultrasound improved performance on medical students' musculoskeletal physical examination skills. ⋯ The use of ultrasound appears to provide an educational advantage when learning musculoskeletal physical examination of soft tissue landmarks.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Ultrasound Versus Traditional Palpation to Guide Radial Artery Cannulation in Critically Ill Children: A Randomized Trial.
To identify success rates for radial artery cannulation in a pediatric critical care unit using either palpation or ultrasound guidance to cannulate the radial artery. ⋯ The ultrasound-guided technique could improve the success rate and allow for faster cannulation of radial artery catheterization in critically ill children.
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The pronator teres muscle is rarely examined during a routine sonographic examination of the elbow joint. Nevertheless, it can be affected by a variety of conditions, including trauma and tumors, and can be implicated in compression of the median nerve. ⋯ Then we present the sonographic technique for examination, normal sonographic appearance, and anatomic variations of the pronator teres and adjacent structures as well as sonography of their main disorders. Normal and pathologic sonographic appearances are correlated with magnetic resonance imaging and radiographic results.
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Comparative Study
Comparative Echogenicity of an Epidural Catheter and 2 New Catheters Designed for Ultrasound-Guided Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks.
Visualization of the catheter during ultrasound-guided continuous nerve block performance may be difficult but is an essential skill for regional anesthesiologists. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate 2 newer catheters designed for enhanced echogenicity and compare them to a widely used catheter not purposely designed for ultrasound guidance. Outcomes were the numbers of first-place rankings among all 3 catheters and scores on individual echogenicity criteria as assessed by 2 blinded reviewers. Catheters designed for echogenicity are not superior to an older regional anesthesia catheter, and results suggest that catheter preference for ultrasound-guided placement may be subjective.