ACR Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Education

Ultrasound Machine

There has been significant growth in the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the U.S. as rheumatologists discover its usefulness in the evaluation of regional pain syndromes, inflammatory and crystalline arthropathies, as well as for injection guidance. As a consequence, there is a growing need for more advanced educational opportunities for providers who use ultrasound to increase their knowledge of sectional anatomy, hone their image acquisition skills, and gain deeper insight into the pathological processes affecting tendons and joints.

To that end, the ACR created the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course for Rheumatologists with Interventional Cadaver Workshop—Intermediate specifically for rheumatologists who are using musculoskeletal ultrasound in their practice and are ready to expand their skills and bring these benefits to their patients.

With an expert faculty providing the latest advances in the technology and application of musculoskeletal ultrasound, the course combines lectures and practical hands-on exercises, highlighting the sonographic appearance of pathological processes in each of the major joint areas to help attendees better evaluate and manage their patients’ pain and disease states. This intensive three-day course includes hands-on sessions conducted on patient models with prescreened findings rather than normal models, giving attendees the opportunity to not only sharpen their skills in image acquisition but also to demonstrate pathologic findings under supervision.

The first two days of the course will cover:

• Ultrasonography of crystalline arthritis;
• Sonography of upper- and lower-extremity nerve entrapments;
• Ultrasonography of rheumatoid arthritis; and
• Fundamentals of ultrasound physics for the rheumatologist.

On Day 3, the course moves to the University of Florida Center for Simulation Education and Safety Research at the Shands Jacksonville Medical Center campus. Here, attendees will have the opportunity to practice ultrasound-guided injection procedures on cadaveric specimens and be able to visualize needles passing through tissues in real time, unlike the blind insertion procedures otherwise used.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to practice injections from multiple simulated approaches, ultimately enabling them to use ultrasound guidance to place local injections with greater accuracy and comfort.

Registration is currently underway for this intensive three-day course scheduled for June 22–24 in Jacksonville, Fla. If the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course for Rheumatologists with Interventional Cadaver Workshop—Intermediate sounds right for you, visit www.rheumatology.org/education and click on Professional Meetings and Courses to register and view course information.