Australian breast surgeons and ultrasound usage: Have practices changed?

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Surgical oncology
• Breast surgery

Background:

• A survey assessed surgeon-performed ultrasound usage among Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand Society (BreastSurgANZ) members.
• This usage was compared to a 2010 survey to identify changes in utilization patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the current utilization of surgeon-performed breast ultrasound.
• To compare current practices with data from 2010.
• To understand surgeons' expectations regarding ultrasound training.

Main Methods:

• An electronic online survey was distributed to BreastSurgANZ members from July to September 2019.
• The survey focused on ultrasound equipment access, office and intraoperative use, biopsy interventions, and training.

Main Results:

• 61.6% of 73 respondents had access to ultrasound; regular usage (68.1%) showed minimal increase since 2010.
• The proportion of surgeons performing no needle interventions increased (62.5% vs. 53% in 2010).
• Intraoperative ultrasound use significantly increased (49.3% vs. 17% in 2010).

Conclusions:

• Surgeon-performed ultrasound utilization among BreastSurgANZ members is largely unchanged over nine years.
• Needle intervention performance has slightly declined, while intraoperative ultrasound application has risen.
• A dedicated ultrasound training curriculum within BreastSurgANZ post-fellowship training is a necessity.