International Summit 2014: Organisation of clinical ultrasound in the world

Ultrasound (US) is a widely used imaging modality throughout the world, yet differences in usage remain among countries or regions, according to the results of the International Summit, organised by the ESR during the European Congress of Radiology last March in Vienna. The International Summit is held each year by the ESR and its partner national and international societies of radiology from outside Europe with the primary goal of gathering information about a particular topic in radiology from a worldwide perspective. In 2014, some aspects of the practice of US imaging within and outside radiology were discussed, following a list of items prepared by the ESR Working Group on Ultrasound. Results showed that radiological US has similar problems throughout the world. At the same time, however, there are profound differences in how US is practised and the results of this meeting should be considered with caution. The results of the International Summit offer an overview of the major trends and differences in the use of US worldwide, but as a whole suggest that this imaging technique still plays a major role in radiology and health care. Main messages • US is a widely used modality and constitutes a great part of radiological workload. • The use of ultrasound is split between radiological and non-radiological services. • Training differs among countries and the presence of local subspecialty societies improves training quality. • The shortage of local radiologists and lack of interest among young radiologists are worrying. • US use should not be limited to radiologists alone, especially in sparsely populated areas.