Musculoskeletal ultrasound education: orthopaedic resident ability following a multimedia tutorial

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) is a quick and effective imaging tool that can be utilized by orthopaedic surgeons to identify common musculoskeletal pathology such as ankle tendinopathy. This study evaluated the ability of 15 orthopaedic surgery residents to identify and measure ankle tendons after attending a multimedia tutorial on MSK-US. Afterwards, proficiency of usage was assessed by identification and quantification of three ankle tendons (Achilles, tibialis posterior, and flexor hallucis longus) in a cadaver limb. Resident comfort level and plan for future use were also assessed. After completing the tutorial, accuracy measuring the Achilles, tibialis posterior, and flexor hallucis longus tendons was 94.8%, 90.2%, and 90.1%, respectively. Resident comfort level improved from a level of 2.3 before the tutorial to 6.8 afterwards. Seventy-one percent of residents plan to use ultrasound in clinical practice. These results show that orthopaedic surgery residents can identify and assess tendon size via MSK-US with sufficient accuracy after a multimedia tutorial.