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Objective: This systematic review aims to determine the extent, scope, and nature of research using the sonographic measurement of intraneural blood flow within the median nerve and to identify, characterize, and compare image acquisition and analysis protocols that have been reported as potential candidate techniques for standardizing research and clinical applications. Materials and Methods: This systematic review summarizes image acquisition protocols and analysis methodologies from 52 current research studies using Doppler ultrasound to examine median nerve intraneural blood flow. Results: Four types of Doppler technologies were identified: power Doppler, color Doppler, spectral Doppler, and Superb Microvascular Imaging, but there were inconsistencies in how images were acquired and analyzed. Intraneural blood flow measurements were categorized into four types based on a combination of measurement level (e.g., binary, ordinal, continuous) and type of flow indicator (e.g., pixel count, intensity, velocity). Conclusion: Standardized imaging protocols and reporting guidelines are needed to improve consistency. Future studies should evaluate the accuracy and reliability of different image acquisition methods and analysis measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Work-related injuries have a major effect on worker health and well-being. This is particularly true in sonography, where work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are common. In response to the current challenge of understanding strategy implementation across social and organizational dimensions, this research captured sonographers', echocardiographers', and vascular technologists' perceptions of critical administrative, organizational, and general health and training challenges, and potential solutions for improving worker health and well-being. Materials and Methods: A survey invitation was sent to the WRMSD Grand Challenge longitudinal study registry participants. Open-ended questions on the online questionnaire allowed respondents to share comments, ideas, or potential solutions to improve worker health and well-being regarding the administrative and organizational environment or through training and general health interventions. There were 377 free-text responses that were qualitatively analyzed using a grounded theory approach to generate overarching themes and identify emerging theory, supported by initial coding, focused coding, and reflexive memoing. A member check was conducted by interviewing four participants to refine and confirm the findings. Results: Five themes were identified: "Limits and Guidelines," "Injury Education," "Ergonomics Training Constraints," "Resources and Equipment," and "Individual Habits." Participant suggestions within these themes were categorized and mapped onto a sociotechnical systems model that was developed previously to study the healthcare system(s) in which sonography users work. This conceptual mapping revealed how these solutions were situated to impact different levels of the work environment. The themes and mapping supported an emerging grounded theory: Risk Reduction Relies on Proper Employee Representation. Conclusion: These qualitative findings align with contemporary guidelines and recommendations for mitigating injuries in sonographers, illuminating challenges and solutions targeting levels of influence beyond the staff sonographers' scope. The need for representation of sonographers at higher-level administrative levels has not heretofore been addressed by WRMSD guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all research institutions underwent significant change, shifting from an in-person to an online landscape, resulting in several benefits and drawbacks to their research laboratories. The pandemic shut down most research efforts, and methods such as online Zoom meetings were required to keep most elements of the research and training going. In the post-COVID period, anxieties about health and safety resulted in difficulty in recruiting participants for clinical studies, and the emphasis on following health standards and guidelines (e.g., social distancing, personal protective equipment) required flexibility in research training processes. This symposium incorporates satisfaction rates and anecdotal evidence from individuals experiencing in-person and virtual research training throughout the pandemic to examine the changes and effects COVID-19 had on laboratory research. Nine traits of a high-quality research training environment (RTE), proposed in a study by Gelso et al, provide context for the subjective claims made and assist in categorizing certain traits. Both modes of research training carry benefits and drawbacks. The increase in collaboration and communication in an online space promoted several of the nine traits of an RTE. However, qualitative feedback from students suggests that the lack of training incorporating the direct operation of equipment, holding a transducer, and direct interaction was detrimental to new laboratory members and their research training. Flexibility and a combination of in-person and online training are likely necessary for an effective research environment in a post-COVID world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Explore the differing associations of Sonography Work Systems (SWS) model factors with work-related discomfort outcomes among sonographers in four sonographic practice areas. Materials and Methods: Survey data from a national cross-disciplinary cohort of sonographers was analyzed to explore experiences of work factors and work-related discomfort in sonographers across four practice areas: abdominal (ABD+), adult echocardiography (Echo), obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN), and vascular technology (VT). One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and chi-square tests were conducted on SWS factors and work-related discomfort to examine differences across practice area groups. Associative analyses were conducted between upper extremity musculoskeletal discomfort and hand used during sonography examinations. For each practice group, regression analyses examined associations of SWS factors with work-related discomfort (i.e., musculoskeletal and visual discomfort, headaches). Results: 2924 survey respondents (n = 1747 ABD+, n = 519 Echo, n = 351 VT, and n = 307 OB/GYN) were identified. Descriptive differences were identified in SWS factors and discomfort across practice area groups. Significant differences were noted in distribution of upper extremity pain compared with the hand used to complete sonography examinations (P <.001). Conclusion: This study identified multiple organizational, tool, and process factors commonly associated with discomfort across specialties, which underscores the need for multidimensional approaches to worker health that include effective administrative and engineering controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the implementation of a Doppler sonography imaging protocol to assess intraneural blood flow, within the median nerve, in healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: A total of 176 participants were examined, and this involved 717 retrospective observations of the images collected. The implemented imaging protocol was assessed, and the data that were collected were cleaned and checked for fidelity and validity. Results: A large percentage of missing evidence (11%–35%) across proximal, mid, and distal carpal tunnel locations. Only a quarter of cases with evidence of intraneural blood flow had the strongest evidence of a power Doppler video clip, of which only three-quarters were valid. The study identified potential areas for improving the imaging protocol to reduce missing data and improve data quality. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the significance of a standardized imaging protocol to guide the sonographic acquisition of Doppler images and provides important insights into potential issues with data quality. The recommendations have the potential to help future studies assess intraneural blood flow in healthy populations in a more rigorous and reliable way. Incorporating the study's recommendations into a standardized protocol, there is potential to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of carpal tunnel syndrome and improve diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This autoethnography deals with the reflexive nature of conducting ethnography with an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. As the interview progresses, the author, graduate student, and participant are united in a shared memory that transcends the research process. This tale is provided as a means to demonstrate the multilevel horizons that can surface through a shared memory and how that can influence the researcher. The hope is to move further out and also evoke within the reader a shared memory. This article also reveals some of the effects of catalytic validity directed at the researcher.

Objective: This discipline-based educational research (DBER) project was designed to longitudinally study the influence of high-fidelity computer-based sonography simulators (HFCBSSs) on student learning. The research question was: Can the implementation of HFCBSS improve clinical skills for sonography students, beyond traditional methods? Materials and Methods: HFCBSSs were shipped to three educational sites for implementation. A quasi-experimental design was utilized across the three educational sites. Educational materials, simulator guides, and assessment templates were developed for implementation. The educational sites revised their standard curricula to allow for students to develop skills with HFCBSS, low-fidelity simulation (e.g. phantoms), and sonographic evaluation of peer classmates. A control group of graduating sonography students was assessed having no HFCBSS experience. Those assessment scores were used as an educational threshold. Successive cohorts of students across the educational sites were assessed as they progressed through their first year. Results: First-year sonography students, exposed to the revised simulation curricula, demonstrated higher median assessment scores, on most sonographic examinations, than the control-group student scores. Those student cohorts that were exposed to the revised simulation curricula but demonstrated a lower median assessment score were remediated to make sure they were ready for clinical placement. Students, across all three educational sites, rated their experience with the HFCBSS as second only to gaining patient examinations in their sonography clinical placements. Conclusion: This educational research project spanned three educational sites, with varied curricula, but it did demonstrate HFCBSS is a useful and effective educational tool. It also demonstrated how preclinical sonographic skill assessments can ensure students get lab-based remediation prior to clinical placement. These results are exclusive to this cohort and should be replicated at other sites, for concurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented that the leading cause of death in the United States is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Specifically, CVD is responsible for the death of one out of every five women in the United States. Therefore, the research question was, "What specific diagnostic tests, including a novel approach to detecting abdominal aortic calcifications (AAC), could be added to screening women for CVD?" Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort of 14 female volunteers, between the ages of 40 and 60 years, were consented to sonography of the aorta, collection of demographic data, as well as contributing biometric data. Each volunteer gave informed consent in compliance with the university's Institutional Review Board. Volunteers also were provided with a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) release that was signed prior to the collection of any data. All sonographic images were analyzed post-examination and aortic calcifications were graded using a modified scoring system derived from a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-based grading system. Results: In this cohort of 14 females, their AAC category scores ranged from I to IIIB (grades: normal to multiple calcified atheroma). Descriptive statistics demonstrate that it is possible to document AAC on this cohort of women using sonography. Correlational statistics showed a statistically significant association between a volunteer's posterior aortic-intimal media thickness (a-IMT) and their atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) 10-year risk score. Conclusion: This pilot study suggests the need for further research on screening techniques to determine women's specific CVD risk in this age group. Although the preliminary results allude to sonographic measures of a-IMT being a possible CVD screening method in the future, more research data are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction by combining screening techniques and to determine whether the combination of sonographic aortic calcification quantification, measurement of aortic intimal thickness, and monocyte laboratory values provides improved diagnostic detection compared with computed tomography (CT) calcium scoring. Methods A pre-experimental design was used to collect imaging, demographic, and biometric data. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 11 volunteers aged 40 to 60 years, including 6 men and 5 women. Collected data included anthropometric measures, laboratory values, flow cytometry, coronary artery calcium scores, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) 10-year risk scores, and aortic intimal-medial thickness (IMT). Results Aortic IMT in the distal portion of the aorta or region 1 was related significantly to mass (r = 0.725, P = .012), body mass index (r = 0.668, P = .025), and ASCVD 10-year risk score (r = 0.747, P = .033). The aortic IMT in mid portion of the aorta or region 2 was related significantly to mass (r = 0.651, P = .030), antihypertensive medications (r = 0.682, P = .021), ASCVD 10-year risk score (r = 0.753, P = .031), and total coronary artery calcification (CAC) (r = 0.626, P = .039). In addition, the proportions of circulating CD14+CD16- (traditional) and CD14+CD16+ (inflammatory) monocytes, and the monocyte surface expression of the adhesion molecules CD11a and CD11c, were correlated with the number of calcifications in regions 1 and 2. Discussion The use of a modified grading system for sonography provided a nonionizing, noninvasive option to easily assess patients' risks of CVD in an office environment. Although CAC has been used widely as a screening mechanism for CVD, ionizing radiation use might not be justified for those who are asymptomatic. The combination of sonography with flow cytometry demonstrated a promising alternative for assessing CVD risk. Conclusion tBetter quantification of inflammatory markers and atherosclerotic plaques is needed. The combination of noninvasive imaging and advanced laboratory analysis holds promise for assessing and managing CVD risk. This study provides further evidence of the need for continued research with larger sample sizes and diversified populations to improve the quality of CVD risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Kevin D. Evans, PhD, RT, RDMS, RVS (Radiologic Sciences and Therapy Division, School of Allied Medical Professions, The Ohio State University, 453 W. 10th Avenue, 340 A. Atwell Hall, [...]

Byline: Kevin D. Evans, PHD, RT (R) (M) (BD), RDMS, RVS, FSDMS (From The Ohio State University, Columbus, evans.36@osu.edu); Brandon Weiss (From The Ohio State University, Columbus); Michael Knopp, MD, [...]

Sonographic guidelines have been provided for assessing lymph nodes both in the axilla and other areas of the body. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of [...]

Context [sup.18]FDG is used widely to enhance PET and PET-CT images. However, this radiotracer tends to be taken up by brown fat, which can lead to false-positive diagnoses. Purpose To determine which patients, areas of the body and circumstances are more likely to be associated with false-positive diagnoses due to [sup.18]FDG uptake in brown fat. Method A review of the literature was conducted on factors that contribute to false-positive diagnoses caused by [sup.18]FDG uptake in brown fat. Results Brown fat commonly is found in women and children and can be located in the supraclavicular, mediastinal, paravertebral and perirenal areas of the body. Research has shown that these areas can be sources of a false-positive diagnosis because of [sup.18]FDG uptake. Studies also have indicated that cold climate affects the uptake of [sup.18]FDG, contributing to false-positive results on PET-CT examinations. Conclusions This literature review should stimulate continued research into and awareness of the potential for false-positive PET findings in women and children during the winter months and in cold climates. This information is especially applicable to young female patients undergoing PET or PET-CT., A radiopharmaceutical, [sup.18]F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([sup.18]FDG), is the primary substance used as a tracer during positron emission tomography(PET) examinations. [sup.18]FDG has 2 advantages as a contrast agent for PET studies: First, it [...]

An autoethnography dealing with the reflexive nature of conducting ethnography with an elderly woman in an assisted living facility is discussed. The autoethnography has revealed some of the effects of catalytic validity directed at the researcher and has also evoked some shared memory within the reader.

A literature review is provided of the scientific studies that have been published concerning the use of sonography to evaluate the axillary lymph nodes to predict breast cancer metastasis. Unfortunately, [...]

The purpose of this article is to discuss the inextricable link between the sonographer and the sonographic machine. This linkage is the result of the technical ability of the sonographer [...]

Context Older Hispanic women at risk for osteoporosis have not been studied using an ecological approach to determine the influential factors linked to this disease. Objective To discover if certain ecological factors influence the prevalence of osteoporosis among older Hispanic women. Methods A secondary data analysis was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data set. The analysis focused on the responses from approximately 413 Hispanic women 60 years and older, a sample that represents 2.2 million U.S. residents. Ecological influence variables, including emotional support, financial support, smoking, housing, milk consumption and self-reported measures of osteoporosis, were chosen to determine if language (read or spoken) indicated a difference among these women. Results Descriptive results and a binary logistic regression model demonstrated the relationship between the independent variables and the self-reported measures of osteoporosis. The first model predicted an increased prevalence of an osteoporosis diagnosis in older Hispanic women who preferred Spanish, had decreased emotional support, had increased financial support, owned their homes and had been milk drinkers. The second model predicted an increased prevalence of self-reported fractures among older Hispanic women who preferred Spanish, had decreased emotional support, had increased financial support and had not smoked. Conclusion Ecological factors can be considered for older Hispanic women in making decisions about screening for disease as well as preventive health education., There is a great deal of variability in the prevalence of osteoporosis across different populations. The variability is so great that diagnosis and management of this disease is not considered [...]

The purpose of this research was to provide descriptive information on elderly women's breast cancer risk and their level of participation in breast cancer screening behaviors. Ninety-two women participated in [...]

Health care costs are closely scrutinized and most programs offered within the hospital setting are required to demonstrate a return on investment. Patient education provided as part of any hospital [...]

Sonographers experience a high cognitive load in hospital-based care. High ambient noise and frequent noise-based interruptions include knocking on the room door, questions from others in the room or through communication technology, alarms, alerts from personal devices, and carts and people passing in the hallway. In addition, other providers turning on the overhead light is distracting for exams that need to be conducted in reduced lighting conditions. This article suggests strategies to improve working conditions for sonographers conducting exams on a patient in the hospital room. Our strategies emerge from human factors methods and principles, which derive from communication principles and theory. These strategies are organized by reducing noise-based and light-based interruptions in the hospital room and hallway, primarily through changes to the built environment and communication technology settings and reducing the use of speech during cognitively challenging time periods through training. Most of the strategies are low-cost and can be implemented within the current built environment and communication technology infrastructure. We anticipate that these strategies could enhance patient outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, improve sonographers' job satisfaction, protect provider health, and increase procedural efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]