Novice learner in-plane ultrasound imaging: which visualization technique?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Ultrasound-Guided Procedures
• Medical Imaging Ergonomics

Background:

• Ultrasound-guided needle placement is a crucial skill for medical professionals.
• Two primary orientations exist for needle advancement: along the visual axis (AL) and across the visual axis (AC).
• The impact of these orientations on novice performance is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether needle orientation affects performance in ultrasound-guided puncture tasks.
• To compare the speed and accuracy of needle imaging between AL and AC techniques.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four novices performed five guided punctures to a target in a pork phantom using both AL and AC techniques.
• The order of techniques was randomized.
• Task completion time and needle imaging accuracy were recorded.

Main Results:

• Needle advancement along the visual axis (AL) resulted in significantly faster target localization (35.7s) compared to across the visual axis (AC) (58.6s; P < 0.0001).
• Imaging quality scores were significantly better for the AL technique (1.37) versus the AC technique (1.64; P = 0.05).
• The AL orientation demonstrated superior performance in both speed and accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Advancing the needle along the visual axis (AL) improves both the speed and quality of needle imaging during ultrasound-guided procedures.
• The AL orientation is recommended as a more effective ergonomic choice for novices learning in-plane ultrasound-guided needle imaging.
• This finding has implications for training protocols in interventional ultrasound.