AIUM meeting features new hands-on abdominal courses

Mar 28, 2000

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine kicks off its annual meeting in San Francisco April 2-5 with a broader and more varied program than ever before, according to program committee chair Dr. Barbara S. Hertzberg, a radiologist and obstetrician from Duke University Medical Center.

"This year for the first time we have a hands-on course in duplex and Color Doppler sonography of the liver and kidney," Hertzberg said. "The course will include lectures, as well as the opportunity for the participants to scan (live models) with supervision and practice some of the techniques that are discussed in the lecture." Course participants will be able to use equipment from several different manufacturers, she said, and last she heard, seats were still available.

"We also have scientific sessions in a wide variety of fields," Hertzberg said, including a session on development of quality assurance programs and "a particularly strong program in obstetrics."

In addition, the categorical courses cover a wider range of topics from 3-D ultrasound to medical-legal issues and development of multimedia presentations, Hertzberg said. Advances in interventional and endoluminal techniques, including US-guided tumor ablation, advanced cranial Doppler sonography, multifetal pregnancies, and new techniques in peripheral vascular sonography are also represented.

The 44th AIUM conference begins with an illuminating look at the history of ultrasound. "Our plenary session is going to be presented by (Dr.) Barry Goldberg, an internationally renowned physician, who's going to discuss the past, present and future of ultrasound," Hertzberg said."

Goldberg's tale begins with ultrasound's first baby steps as diagnostic tool in the 1950s, and introduction of the first commercial equipment in the 1960s. Ultrasound's popularity and acceptance as a medical procedure rose dramatically in the 1970s, and was further enhanced by the introduction of Color Doppler and 3-D techniques in the '80s and '90s. In the new century, emerging fields such as elastography promise to further expand the modality's diagnostic and interventional applications, according to an abstract on the session.

Current AIUM president Dr. Larry Platt will follow up with a talk on the organization's own future, Hertzberg said.

This year the six finalists for the New Investigator awards will conduct sessions on multifeature tissue analysis procedures in breast cancer classification, and the role of viscosity in acoustic streaming, to name two.

Pre-convention courses have also been added to enable participants to talk with experts at length about their particular areas of interest. "Meet the Professor" sessions also give students and teachers more time to discuss the nitty-gritty of new techniques, according to Hertzberg. She noted that the conference draws physicians from multiple specialties, reflecting the diversity of ultrasound's use in medicine.

"One of the special things about the AIUM is that it's a multidisciplinary organization ... where radiologists and physicians from multiple specialties come and exchange information in an open setting," she said. "It differs from some other meetings, where you might just see people from your own specialty."

By Eric Barnes
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
March 29, 2000

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