The Point of Care Ultrasound course presents the physics of ultrasound and covers cardiac, lung, abdominal aorta, biliary, advanced echo and soft tissue scanning techniques.  Hands-on learning in the form of laboratory workshop scanning sessions will be used to develop skills and present structured pathologic findings to the group in a consistent way.

Healthcare providers will gain knowledge on the appropriate indications for POCUS exams and how and when to perform them. Providers will also learn how to test characteristics for these exams and how to integrate POCUS results into comprehensive bedside care of the patient.

The course is designed as a two day curriculum, and participants are encouraged to attend both days. The first day focuses on principles, physics and basic sonography, while the second day focuses on more advanced techniques and ultrasound guided procedures. Either part may be attended separately.

Objectives

• Describe the indications for POCUS echo, abdomen, and vascular exams.
• Describe the required ultrasound views for POCUS echo, abdomen, and vascular exams.
• Describe the limitations of POCUS echo, abdomen, and vascular exams.
• Perform POCUS echo, abdomen, and vascular exams on normal patients.
• Explain the effect of specific POCUS results on medical decision making in different clinical contexts.
• Explain how POCUS results are integrated into the healthcare system as a whole.

Upcoming course dates can be seen below. 

CME Credit

The Wake Forest School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 16 Hours AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.  

Session Fees
Physicians - $1,000.00
Advance Practice Providers - $750.00
Medical Trainees (resident, student, fellow) - $500.00
Single Day Registration (Saturday) - $500.00
Single Day Registration (Sunday) - $500.00

The Neurovascular Ultrasound courses present the anatomy, pathophysiology and hemodynamics regarding the extracranial and intracranial cerebral circulation.

Carotid duplex sonography, color-flow imaging, carotid intima-media thickness measurement, transcranial Doppler (TCD), embolus detection and new developments in ultrasonographic methods are presented during both lectures and hands-on scanning lab sessions. The emphasis is on clinical applications, case examples and principles of interpretation.

The courses are designed as a one-week curriculum, and participants are encouraged to attend for the entire week. However, the first part of the week focuses on principles, physics and extracranial carotid sonography, while the latter part of the week focuses on TCD. Either part may be attended separately.

Charles H. Tegeler IV, MD, Director

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be better able to:

• Discuss key principles of ultrasound physics, technology and anatomy as applied to neurovascular testing.
• Describe hemodynamics and pathophysiology of the cerebral circulation, and alterations relevant to patients with stroke, cerebrovascular disease (including sickle cell disease [SCD]), vasospasm and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• List clinical indications for neurovascular testing, particularly as related to patients with stroke, cerebrovascular disease, SCD, vasospasm and TBI.
• Discuss the integrated role for neurovascular ultrasound in the management of patients with stroke, cerebrovascular disease, vasospasm and TBI, and potential benefits to improve patient safety and outcomes.
• Discuss criteria for interpretation of neurovascular ultrasound studies.
• Describe key aspects of ongoing quality improvement in a neurovascular service.
• Demonstrate the hands-on ability to successfully identify pathology within key arterial segments in the extracranial circulation (CCA, BIF, ICA, ECA, VA) and to obtain Doppler velocity measurements from those segments.
• Demonstrate the hands-on ability to identify key intracranial arterial segments using TCD (MCA, ACA, PCA, VA, BA) and to obtain Doppler velocity measurements from those segments.

Upcoming course dates can be seen below. 

CME Credit

Neurovascular	40
Carotid (only)	24
TCD (only)	24

Fees

Neurovascular	$1,975
Carotid (only)	$1,475
TCD (only)	$1,475

 

The 2020 Neurovascular Interpretation course (December 7-11, 2020) is being offered in live virtual Webex format only. We hope to move back to an in-person format for future courses.

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The Neurovascular Interpretation course is designed for attendees to interpret at least 200 neurovascular ultrasound cases (100 carotid and 100 TCD studies) in a supervised environment.

Cases will be presented using video, electronic images or other hard copy results, from which attendees will create a preliminary interpretation. The findings will be discussed, and when possible, compared with the clinical reading. Some unknown cases will be reviewed and submitted for critique. Prior completion of the Neurovascular Ultrasound course (or its equivalent) including hands-on and practical interpretation experience is strongly encouraged.

Charles H. Tegeler IV, MD, Director

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe criteria for the interpretation of carotid duplex ultrasound studies.
• Describe criteria for the interpretation of transcranial Doppler ultrasound studies.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify normal, compared to pathological findings in the extracranial (CCA, BIF, ICA, ECA and VA) and the intracranial circulation (MCA, ACA, PCA, VA and BA).
• Formulate preliminary interpretations of carotid and transcranial ultrasound examinations.
• List clinical indications for neurovascular testing, particularly as related to patients with stroke or cerebrovascular disease.
• Discuss the integrated role for neurovascular ultrasound in the management of patients with stroke or cerebrovascular disease, and potential benefits to improve patient safety and outcomes.

Upcoming course dates can be seen below. 

CME Credit

TBD

Fees

$1,975

Online registration coming soon

The Ob-Gyn Ultrasound course combines obstetrics and gynecology with the primary emphasis devoted to the study of obstetrics.

The first day is primarily gynecology, including lectures in orientation and terminology of the gynecological tract and hands-on transvaginal scanning labs. The remaining days are devoted to obstetrics, to include approximately 15 hours of dedicated lectures by experienced physicians and sonographers. Each afternoon is spent in scanning labs with obstetrical patients under the guidance of a registered sonographer.

Martha Decker, MD, Director

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be better able to:

• Translate core topics in basic Ob-Gyn ultrasound as well as physical principles of ultrasound from conceptual to practical application on a daily basis.
• Understand the orientation of the pelvic and fetal anatomy as it is displayed on the monitor using both endovaginal and abdominal transducers.
• Recognize normal female pelvic anatomy including the bladder, cervix, uterus and ovaries.
• Identify basic fetal embryology and know how it applies to ultrasound imaging in the first trimester.
• Demonstrate skillful scanning techniques for performing an amniotic fluid index and biophysical profile.
• Understand the importance of determining chorionicity of multiple gestations in the first trimester.
• Identify normal fetal anatomy and the most common fetal anomalies.
• Distinguish markers of aneuploidy and to understand how they are used for the purpose of risk assessment.

Upcoming course dates can be seen below. 

CME Credit

31

Fees

$1,875

The Neuromuscular Ultrasound course focuses on applications in muscle disease, peripheral and cranial nerve imaging and introduction to the use of ultrasound in evaluating musculoskeletal disorders.

Lectures are integrated with hands-on demonstrations of technique and case interpretation. A small-group format helps facilitate questions and answers and tailors the educational experience to meet the specific needs of individual participants.

Michael Cartwright, MD, Coordinator

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the participant should be better able to:

• Define terms of ultrasound and demonstrate application of the principles while imaging neuromuscular structures.
• Identify upper extremity, lower extremity and cranial musculature, and the visible boundaries that distinguish muscle groups in these areas.
• Recognize loss of heterogeneity, fasciculations, hyperechoic changes, hypertrophy and other common pathologic changes in affected human muscles.
• Identify the median, radial and ulnar nerves in the upper extremity, and areas of the sural, peroneal and tibial nerves in the lower extremity, and recognize common anatomic variants and pathologic abnormalities of these nerves.
• Discuss indications for appropriate use of ultrasound imaging, factors that could complicate interpretation and clinical situations where ultrasound imaging is particularly contributory to addressing clinical problems.

Upcoming course dates can be seen below. 

CME Credit

15

Fees

$1100