Abdominal Ultrasound: Credentialing and Certification

The use of clinical ultrasound as a diagnostic tool by surgeons has rapidly increased over the past two decades. The use of ultrasound has found its way into essentially all of the surgical subspecialties. Ultrasound provides a real-time diagnostic modality that enhances the surgeon’s ability to make therapeutic decisions. Utilization of ultrasound during operative procedures is an extension and expansion of other diagnostic modalities, such as computed tomography. A number of studies have documented that surgeons can perform ultrasound with a high degree of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Other papers have documented that the interpretation of specific ultrasound images by surgeons is equivalent to the high-quality interpretation provided by radiologists and other imaging specialists.