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).
