Recommended musculoskeletal and sports ultrasound terminology: a Delphi-based consensus statement

Abstract

The current lack of agreement regarding standardised terminology in musculoskeletal and sports ultrasound presents challenges in education, clinical practice and research. This consensus was developed to provide a reference to improve clarity and consistency in communication. A multidisciplinary expert panel was convened consisting of 18 members representing multiple specialty societies identified as key stakeholders in musculoskeletal and sports ultrasound. A Delphi process was used to reach consensus, which was defined as group level agreement of >80%. Content was organised into seven general topics including: (1) general definitions, (2) equipment and transducer manipulation, (3) anatomical and descriptive terminology, (4) pathology, (5) procedural terminology, (6) image labelling and (7) documentation. Terms and definitions which reached consensus agreement are presented herein. The historic use of multiple similar terms in the absence of precise definitions has led to confusion when conveying information between colleagues, patients and third-party payers. This multidisciplinary expert consensus addresses multiple areas of variability in diagnostic ultrasound imaging and ultrasound-guided procedures related to musculoskeletal and sports medicine.

Standardised lesion segmentation for imaging biomarker quantitation: a consensus recommendation from ESR and EORTC

“…Panels included multiple stakeholders, who were healthcare professionals in 95% of cases [ 24 ]. More recently, Delphi studies involving imaging have convened multidisciplinary expert panels of 18–50 relevant stakeholders [ 27 – 30 ].…”

A Retrospective Case Series Study on a Minimally Invasive Ultrasound-Guided First Dorsal Compartment Release Technique for Refractory De Quervain Tenosynovitis

“…The symptoms had to have been present for at least 3 mos and had failed conservative management including activity modification, oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, corticosteroid injection into the tendon sheath, and either a physician-led home exercise program or formal physical therapy. At the time of the procedure, tenosynovitis was characterized utilizing ultrasound visualization showing distention of a tendon sheath from fluid of variable echogenicity with or without synovial hypertrophy, 16 hyperemia visible on Doppler imaging, thickening of the extensor retinaculum overlying the first dorsal compartment, and reproduction of pain with sonopalpation 17 . There was a minimum follow-up time of 1 yr.…”

Implementing a Sports Ultrasound Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education

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“…A thorough grasp of the basics of US, including knobology, physics of image creation (45,46), echogenicity, transducer selection, transducer movements (1), imaging artifacts (6), and US etiquette, is fundamental for the use of US as a teaching tool and in clinical practice. These principles are a foundational component of any US curriculum (Table 1).…”

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