EFSUMB Presidental Programme 2012

 

The Executive Bureau was partially changed, following the election by the Board of Directors during the EUROSON meeting in Vienna in August 2011 and is now made up, for the term 2011–2013, by Dr. Fabio Piscaglia (President), Prof. Christoph F Dietrich (President Elect), Dr. Christian Nolsoe (Past President), Prof. Odd Helge Gilja (Honorary Secretary) and Prof. Diana Gaitini (Honorary Treasurer). The Executive Bureau intends to continue ongoing activities set up by the ExB of the previous term (2009–2011) and also implement new original programs.

A priority of the previous term was to promote Educational Activities. This will remain a priority also for the next term and will be centered on the following activities, developed in conjunction with the EFSUMB Education and Professional Standard Committee (EPSC), chaired by Ass. Prof. Dr J. Tuma.

Expansion of the content of the Educational webportal, freely accessible via the EFSUMB website (www.efsumb.org). This portal contains the “case of the month” series, a useful and intriguing education modality, currently coordinated by Dr. P.S. Sidhu, well suited to keep ultrasound operators freshly updated in different fields with usual and unusual imaging patterns. Since the beginning this section has remained among the most visited of EFSUMB web pages. All EFSUMB members are warmly invited to submit their interesting and well documented cases. We would like to take the occasion to remind you that these cases are presented in English as well as translated into other languages. Completion of the EFSUMB Course Book, coordinated by Prof. C.F. Dietrich, whose first chapters are already available online. The chapters making the core of an ultrasound examination will also be printed in a regular book form in 2012 (copies could be ordered online or purchased through booksellers or at EFSUMB Congresses). Postgraduate residential courses in the forms of international Euroson Schools, run on different topics, including Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound, Ultrasound in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Interventional Ultrasound and others, which are listed in the EFSUMB webpage. From 2012 there will be also the opportunity to attend on a national level EFSUMB endorsed courses, also listed on the portal. Creation of an online video course on CEUS applications derived from recorded lectures of international experts. This goes in line with the program to strengthen the role of e-learning, possibly also with formal recognition, which, in time of economical restrictions and concurrent extension of technology capabilities, might become of greater importance. Prof. O.H. Gilja started to lead this approach while chairman of the Education and Professional Standard Committee and will continue to coordinate it from within the Executive Bureau. For the current term, the EFSUMB Executive Bureau would like to support the use of simple ultrasound scans at bedside in clinical wards. This approach does not replace conventional ultrasound, but may complement the diagnostic capabilities of conventional physical examination, facilitate interventions at the bedside or answer simple clinical questions (e. g. does this patient with abdominal enlargment have ascites?). Such exams might easily extend into or be supplied by a a complete ultrasound scan, in case of clinical need. If we consider the setting of emergency, a comparable modality has already been established and coded as FAST examination. A similar approach has not been defined for clinical wards in non emergency situation and EFSUMB intends to define it and set up corresponding teaching activities. Our present suggestion is to call this new concept “echoscopy”.

In recent years a cooperation with other continental societies was set up and proved successful (e.g. European Society for the Study of the Liver EASL, United European Gastroenterology Federation UEGF) and interactions will be possibly adopted also with other societies. EFSUMB already endorsed and will promote a course on Liver Imaging for young hepatologists, economically fully supported by EASL (Clinical School in Hepatology), whose application forms are reachable from the EFSUMB website.

EFSUMB is a Federation of Societies and not a Society itself. This, together with different knowledge in English language, may contribute to make the contacts of EFSUMB with its members not as strict as desired. Attempts will be made to make closer the possible contact between EFSUMB and its members and among all members by the use of the modern social networks.

In the last decade many substantial innovations became routinely available in the daily practice of ultrasonography. However, its use, despite technically available to any ultrasound user, might generate errors when utilized without a sufficiently technical background. EFSUMB recognized this risk and the need to support all ultrasound users with recommendations. For this reason guidelines and recommendations on the use of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound were first released in 2004 and subsequentely regularly updated. The plan of the ExB is to regularly update these recommendations, and new releases will appear divided into liver and non-liver applications, in Ultraschall in der Medizin/European Journal of Ultrasound during 2012 (the non-liver ones already available online). Plans are to spread as much as possible the knowledge of these new guidelines among European US operators, which should also theoretically imply a more homogeneous terminology in writing reports.

Considering new US applications plans of the ExB are to prepare documents, at least on quantification of contrast enhancement, elastography and strain imaging techniques, where recommendations appeared more warranted. The resulting documents will be finalized within 2012 and then submitted for publication. EFSUMB intends, in fact, to identify and drive innovations on a continental level.

Online atlases illustrating the guidelines will also be set up in the future in the Educational EFSUMB web portal, starting from the CEUS guidelines in 2012.

A project will start to prepare documents on how an optimal report has to be written in different fields of applications. The first one to be released will be on how to investigate and make reports for patients with a suspicion of portal hypertension.

All these and other activities included in the program of the ExB for the next two years, aside from regular activities, including the annual EFSUMB congress, are hoped to increase the awareness about the benefits of being or becoming an EFSUMB member. Moreover, we hope that these initiatives will continue to enhance the level of ultrasound education and underline the importance of ultrasound in the European medical community.

EFSUMB Executive Bureau Fabio Piscaglia (President)
Christoph F Dietrich (President Elect) Christian Nolsoe (Past President)
Odd Helge Gilja (Honorary Secretary)
Diana Gaitini (Honorary Treasurer)