The International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) and Inteleos issued a joint endorsement of the expansion of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) training in the recently updated National Education Curriculum (NEC) for sonography programs.
“CEUS has transformed how we diagnose and monitor disease, and expansion of CEUS training for sonography students is a critical step forward in ensuring broader patient access to one of the most innovative and patient-friendly advances in diagnostic imaging,” the two organizations said in a January 6 statement.
The NEC is a consensus-based curriculum guide developed by a coalition of sonography professional organizations to be used in U.S. sonography training programs, as well as for credentialing exam preparation.
The earlier version of the NEC, released in 2016, included little information on CEUS training, which slowed the adoption of CEUS in the U.S. in comparison to Europe and Asia, according to Jordan Strom, MD, an officer of ICUS who helped develop the new CEUS content for cardiac concentrations.
The organizations noted that the NEC updates follow the recent expansion of the sonographer's scope of practice to include a more active role for trained sonographers in the administration of CEUS examinations. "The Scope of Practice and Clinical Standards for the Diagnostic Medical Sonographer" was updated in 2024 by the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS).
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
