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Objectives The objective of these recommendations is to highlight the importance of infection prevention and control in ultrasound (US), including diagnostic and interventional settings. Methods Review of available publications and discussion within a multidisciplinary group consistent of radiologists and microbiologists, in consultation with European patient and industry representatives. Recommendations Good basic hygiene standards are essential. All US equipment must be approved prior to first use, including hand held devices. Any equipment in direct patient contact must be cleaned and disinfected prior to first use and after every examination. Regular deep cleaning of the entire US machine and environment should be undertaken. Faulty transducers should not be used. As outlined in presented flowcharts, low level disinfection is sufficient for standard US on intact skin. For all other minor and major interventional procedures as well as all endo-cavity US, high level disinfection is mandatory. Dedicated transducer covers must be used when transducers are in contact with mucous membranes or body fluids and sterile gel should be used inside and outside covers. Conclusions Good standards of basic hygiene and thorough decontamination of all US equipment as well as appropriate use of US gel and transducer covers are essential to keep patients safe. Main messages • Transducers must be cleaned/disinfected before first use and after every examination. • Low level disinfection is sufficient for standard US on intact skin. • High level disinfection is mandatory for endo-cavity US and all interventions. • Dedicated transducer covers must be used for endo-cavity US and all interventions. • Sterile gel should be used for all endo-cavity US and all interventions.

This document summarises best practice recommendations for medical imaging use of ultrasound in Europe, representing the agreed consensus of experts from the Ultrasound Subcommittee of the European Society of Radiology (ESR), the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) Section of Radiology, and the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Recommendations are given for education and training, equipment and its maintenance, documentation, hygiene and infection prevention, and medico-legal issues.

Objectives To obtain medical students’ evaluation of the quality of undergraduate radiology teaching received, preferred teaching methods and resources. This is a follow-up project to an earlier study of junior doctors who felt that radiology teaching left them ill prepared for medical practice. Methods A questionnaire to third and fifth year medical students undertaking clinical rotations at Newcastle University, UK. Results The questionnaire was completed by 57/60 (95 %) of third and 37/40 (93 %) of final year medical students. Students received minimal radiology teaching in pre-clinical years, feeling this was insufficient. The majority of students rated interactive case-based teaching as effective. Self-directed learning resources such as textbooks, journals and even online learning modules were perceived as less effective. Other types of web resources rated higher. Motivation for most students when studying radiology was to achieve learning objectives needed to pass their next exams and/or to improve as a doctor. Conclusions Medical students criticise the lack of radiology teaching in pre-clinical undergraduate years. Radiology teaching should be represented in all undergraduate years, preferably delivered via interactive teaching sessions. Currently available e-learning modules do not meet the students’ learning needs and there is a call for reliable, up-to-date open access electronic resources. Main Messages • Radiology teaching should be represented in all pre-clinical and clinical undergraduate years. • Medical students rate interactive case-based teaching sessions as very effective. • There is a call for reliable, up-to-date open access electronic resources for medical students.

A 30-year-old woman with no significant medical or family history presented with epigastric pain radiating to the right shoulder tip. She had an acute drop of haemoglobin within 6 h of admission. She was found to be actively bleeding from a ruptured simple ovarian cyst with no other pathology found. Bleeding was stopped by diathermy.

The use of portable ultrasound (US) devices has increased in recent years and the market has been flourishing. Portable US devices can be subdivided into three groups: laptop-associated devices, hand-carried US, and handheld US devices. Almost all companies we investigated offer at least one portable US device. Portable US can also be associated with the use of different US techniques such as colour Doppler US and pulse wave (PW)-Doppler. Laptop systems will also be available with contrast-enhanced US and high-end cardiac functionality.Portable US devices are effective in the hands of experienced examiners. Imaging quality is predictably inferior to so-called high-end devices.The present paper is focused on portable US devices and clinical applications describing their possible use in different organs and clinical settings, keeping in mind that patient safety must never be compromised. Hence, portable devices must undergo the same decontamination assessment and protocols as the standard equipment, especially smartphones and tablets.

Acute appendicitis (AA) is a common abdominal emergency with a lifetime prevalence of about 7 %. As the clinical diagnosis of AA remains a challenge to emergency physicians and surgeons, imaging modalities have gained major importance in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected AA in order to keep both the negative appendectomy rate and the perforation rate low. Introduced in 1986, graded-compression ultrasound (US) has well-established direct and indirect signs for diagnosing AA. In our opinion, US should be the first-line imaging modality, as graded-compression US has excellent specificity both in the paediatric and adult patient populations. As US sensitivity is limited, and non-diagnostic US examinations with non-visualization of the appendix are more a rule than an exception, diagnostic strategies and algorithms after non-diagnostic US should focus on clinical reassessment and complementary imaging with MRI/CT if indicated. Accordingly, both ionizing radiation to our patients and cost of pre-therapeutic diagnosis of AA will be low, with low negative appendectomy and perforation rates. Main Messages • Ultrasound (US) should be the first imaging modality for diagnosing acute appendicitis (AA). • Primary US for AA diagnosis will decrease ionizing radiation and cost. • Sensitivity of US to diagnose AA is lower than of CT/MRI. • Non-visualization of the appendix should lead to clinical reassessment. • Complementary MRI or CT may be performed if diagnosis remains unclear.

Objectives Although ultrasound (US) is considered one of the safest imaging modalities, concerns have been raised regarding potential infection transmission risks through US procedures. A survey was undertaken by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) to establish infection prevention and control measures in US and to highlight the importance of good medical practice. Methods An online survey was sent to all 22,000 full ESR members. Results The response rate of completed surveys was 4.3 % (946 practitioners, 97 % of which were radiologists, mostly working in larger hospital settings). Among respondents, 29 %, 11 % and 6 % did not disinfect the US probe after every patient when performing standard surface US, endo-cavity US and interventional procedures, respectively. Eleven percent did not always use probe covers for endo-cavity US; for interventional procedures, the proportion was 23 %. A minority used sterile gel sachets in direct patient contact for endo-cavity scans (30 %), and 77.5 % used sterile gel for interventional procedures. Conclusions The survey results highlight a wide range of practices throughout Europe and the need to raise awareness amongst practitioners regarding the importance of infection prevention and control measures. The development of European recommendations encompassing all US examinations, together with education is a priority. Main Messages • Transmission of infection through ultrasound procedures is possible . • There is a wide range of ultrasound probe decontamination practices in Europe . • Not all practitioners use probe covers for endo-cavity or interventional ultrasound . • Not all practitioners use sterile gel for internal and invasive procedures . • Currently there are no European recommendations encompassing all US examinations .

Medical education is evolving and electronic learning (e-Learning) strategies have now become an essential asset in radiology education. Radiology education is a significant part of the undergraduate medical curriculum and the use of e-Learning in radiology teaching in medical schools is on the rise. If coupled with clinical decision support systems, e-Learning can be a practical way of teaching students clinical decision making, such as selecting the diagnostic imaging tests that are best suited in certain clinical scenarios.The innovative concept of flipped classroom learning encourages students to work independently and maximises the application of learnt contents in interactive classroom sessions.For integrated curricula with their student-centred, problem-based, and community-based design, an approach to systematically integrate radiology may be to define diagnostic reasoning as one of the core goals. Radiologists as teachers and scholars may understand themselves as experts in diagnostic reasoning and in mentoring how to make medical decisions.Computer programs simulating the routine work are available and can be used to teach the recognition of anatomical structures and pathological patterns, and also to teach ultrasonography and interventional radiology, maximising patient safety.

Renal colic is a common disease in Europe and a common cause of visit to the Emergency Department. Clinical diagnosis is usually confirmed by imaging modalities. Unenhanced computed tomography (CT) is considered the best diagnostic test due to its excellent accuracy detecting ureteral stones. However, ultrasound (US) should be considered as the primary imaging technique. It is a reproducible, non-invasive and non-expensive imaging technique, achieving accurate diagnosis in most cases without the need for radiation. Diagnosis is based on the presence of ureteral stones, but indirect findings such as the asymmetry or absence of ureteric jet, an increase of the resistive index or a colour Doppler twinkling artefact may help to suggest the diagnosis when the stone is not identified. Main Messages • Renal colic diagnosis is usually confirmed by imaging modalities . • Imaging diagnosis of renal colic is based on the detection of ureteral stones . • CT is the most accurate imaging technique to identify ureteral stones . • US allows correct diagnosis in most cases without using radiation . • US should be used as the first imaging modality in patients with renal colic .

To evaluate the efficacy, risks, and survival after palliative colorectal stenting at a single center, we conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients who had colorectal self-expanding metal stents (SEMSs) inserted over an 8-year period (September 1998 to September 2006) to relieve an obstructing colorectal tumor. All patients either had proven distant metastases or were unfit for surgical decompression. A single interventional radiologist (R.M.) inserted the stents, which were either Memotherm or WallFlex. Ninety-one patients with a median age of 73 years had a colorectal stent inserted for palliation of an obstructing colorectal malignancy. Technical success was achieved in 81 of 91 (89%) patients, and clinical success in 80 of 81 (99%). At the time of analysis (December 2006), 13 of 91 (14.2%) patients were alive. The patients who died had a median survival of 59 days, IQR 17–181 days. Seven (7/81) patients suffered stent migration, which occurred 10.3 days (IQR, 5–14 days) after the procedure. Three patients (3/81) re-presented with intestinal obstruction secondary to tumor ingrowth and 10 (10.9%) patients suffered bowel perforation. Ten patients (10.9%) had two stents inserted coaxially and overlapping in one procedure. This was performed in cases where the stricture was too long to be easily crossed by a single stent. We conclude that colorectal SEMS is a safe and effective mode of treatment for the palliation of obstructing colorectal cancers, which avoids high-risk surgery.