by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | March 08, 2022
From the March 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
– The fact that contrast US can be carried out at the bedside has enormous implications. This avoids transporting children from an intensive care unit (ICU) to a CT or MR scanner, a benefit that is particularly useful for very ill children with multiple medical support devices. Bedside contrast US exams also open up new indications for CEUS in the ICU that can positively impact the management of the patients (e.g., monitoring brain perfusion).
HCB News: You founded CHOP's Center of Pediatric Contrast Ultrasound (CPCU) in 2017. Can you tell us what the center does and why you saw a need for it?
KD: The idea to establish the CPCU stemmed from the need to consolidate all the efforts in advancing an important, impactful and practice-changing diagnostic modality for children. The mission of the CPCU is to support the implementation of various clinical indications for CEUS in our institution, to support basic science and clinical pediatric contrast ultrasound research and to advance at a local, national and international level pediatric-focused contrast ultrasound education. All these three points have been realized and are continually expanding through the leadership and support of the CPCU. The CPCU has a director — a pediatric radiologist (Susan Back, M.D.) and a sonographer (Laura Poznick, RDMS) thus encompassing all essential professionals to push forward this modality. At CHOP the CPCU has been instrumental in the implementation of CEUS in the intravenous route, de facto from head to toe; the intravesical administration, primarily for vesicoureteric reflux; multiple interventional uses, and recently the novel intralymphatic use. The CPCU has been instrumental in the establishment and support of two basic science pediatric-focused contrast ultrasound research groups that have animal labs for research supported by ultrasound Ph.D. researchers as well as many clinical studies including four using investigational drug approvals (INDs) from the Food and Drug Administration. Lastly, the educational impact has been significant. Pre-COVID the CPCU held monthly in-person workshops at CHOP with live exams but since last year converted to webinars. The first 2 have been well attended and successful. The CPCU has been instrumental in training over 200 pediatric radiologists and sonographers and supporting the initiation of contrast ultrasound in more than 50 pediatric centers in the United States.
HCB News: Is it fair to say that many providers were slow to adopt CEUS? If so, is that still the case?
