by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | March 08, 2022
From the March 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
HCB News: Many CEUS advocates have petitioned to have the black box removed. Has there been any progress on that front?
KD: ICUS submitted a citizen petition in September 2018, updated in August 2020, for the removal of the boxed warnings from the UCA product labels. We are still waiting for the FDA response.
HCB News: For providers who are interested in learning more about CEUS, or introducing the exam at their facility, what resources can you recommend?
KD: A number of very useful resources are available on adult contrast US, but only a few on pediatric contrast US. Information on adult contrast US can still have a lot of utility for pediatric applications. Useful resources include the ICUS website which offers comprehensive information on contrast US, including specific information on setting up a CEUS lab, protocols, guidelines, coding and payment, and an ICUS sonographer policy. The European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) website presents comprehensive guidelines and recommendations for CEUS of the liver and non-hepatic applications as well as dynamic CEUS for quantification of tumor perfusion. The World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) website offers an open access publication on “How to perform CEUS.” The Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Taskforce of the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) website has information dedicated to pediatric contrast US as well as illustrative examples. Courses of variable length and depth on pediatric contrast US are offered at various meetings, including SPR, ICUS, European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR), American Institute of Ultrasound (AIUM), Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) and EFSUMB, among others. More in-depth courses focused on pediatric contrast US are helpful in providing intensive and hands-on experience that speeds the ability to start a pediatric contrast US service. For instance, King’s College in London, under the auspices of the Euroson School and the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS), hosts a comprehensive pediatric contrast US course every 1–2 years. The Center for Pediatric Contrast Ultrasound (CPCU) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia hosts almost monthly one-day intensive workshops encompassing in vitro and phantom demonstrations as well as live patient exams. Due to the pandemic the CPCU has converted its courses to virtual webinars.
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