Welcome to the third issue of 2023, and I hope that you find this edition a good mix of papers for you all to enjoy. In this issue, I’m pleased to offer you all an exciting mix of submissions including a review article, two feature articles, five pieces of original research and a case report. This edition covers a wide range of topics including patient experiences of imaging reports; liver fat content by B-mode ultrasound (US) and metabolic profiles in non-diabetic patients; effect on point Shear Wave Elastography (pSWE) in the diagnosis of cirrhosis in chronic Hepatitis C patients; US measurements of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in healthy adults; an evaluation of the thymus gland with age; ultrasound imaging and cadaveric correlation of cross-sectional area and echo intensity values of peripheral nerves; the impact of Point of Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) practice at London’s air ambulance service and place of tracheoesophageal prosthesis using intra-operative US.
The first offering in this edition is from Rogers et al. who perform a systematic review looking at multiple studies and their findings regarding patient’s experiences with imaging reports. They look at patient’s understanding of reports and how patient-centred reporting may help.
A group from Italy looks at the use of ultrasound in the assessment of fat infiltration within the liver while comparing to lipid and glucose profiles. The team also addresses the association between the varying grades of steatosis and the biochemical findings.
Attanasio et al. explore the effects of pSWE depth in the diagnosis of cirrhosis in Hepatitis C patients. The study looked at a robust and standardised method of undertaking the procedure of ultrasound-guided elastography.
A team from the United States presents a study looking at ultrasound measurements of the IVC in healthy subjects compared with that in supported ventilated patients.
An Iranian team looks at the sonographic appearances of the thymus gland in the paediatric population. The presence of the thymus gland is visible in their study population; however, they note the variation of ultrasound appearances.
Rawat et al. present a piece of original research looking at the comparison between B-Mode US and true cadaveric cross-sectional area measurements and echo-intensity of peripheral nerves.
Naeem et al. present an interesting service evaluation looking at the feasibility and impact of pre-hospital PoCUS teaching and training programme at London’s air ambulance service.
The final offering for this edition is from an American ENT team using a novel intra-operative technique to place tracheoesophageal prostheses in cases where patients have needed a total laryngectomy.
I look forward to arranging the November edition of Ultrasound for you all. We have more excellent submissions for the next journal from work that has been submitted from a range of researchers and clinicians. At the time of writing this, I am getting ready to attend the United Kingdom Imaging & Oncology (UKIO) congress in Liverpool. This is the first time that BMUS has arranged to have a dedicated presence at the congress, and hopefully, this will be the first of many attendances. Take care and stay safe.
Colin P Griffin
Email: editor-in-chief@bmus.org