This study aimed to increase the utilization of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in ultrasound-guided liver biopsies by implementing an educational training program for radiologists. The training consisted of two parts: didactic teaching, which included case presentations on the benefits and applications of CEUS, and hands-on training on how to effectively use CEUS. A group of 14 fellowship-trained abdominal imaging radiologists participated in the study. To assess the impact of the intervention, radiologists completed anonymous surveys before and six months after the training to evaluate their understanding of CEUS and their willingness to incorporate it into practice. The study also compared the percentage of liver biopsies assisted by CEUS before and after the training.
Before the training, only 11% of survey respondents used CEUS routinely, while 89% either never or rarely used it. However, after the training, 54% of respondents had started using CEUS, and 100% expressed an intention to continue using it. The main barrier to using CEUS before the training was unfamiliarity (71%), while after training, 25% of respondents cited a lack of comfort with the technique as the primary obstacle. In the six months prior to training, CEUS was used in 6% (10 out of 172) of liver biopsies. Six months after the training, this increased to 10% (16 out of 160), although this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.09). Notably, the number of radiologists using CEUS increased significantly from 20% (3 out of 14) before the training to 57% (8 out of 14) after the training (P = 0.03). These results suggest that educational training interventions can effectively increase the use of CEUS during ultrasound-guided liver biopsies, potentially enhancing diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
