Guidelines for performing dermatologic ultrasound examinations by the dermus group

Abstract

© 2016 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Objectives-To support standardization for performing dermatologic ultrasound examinations. Methods-An international working group, called DERMUS (Dermatologic Ultrasound), was formed, composed of physicians who have been working on a regular basis and publishing in peer-reviewed articles on dermatologic ultrasound. A questionnaire on 5 critical issues about performance of the examinations was prepared and distributed by e-mail. The areas of discussion included technical aspects, main areas of application, minimum number of examinations per year required for assessing competence, qualifications of the personnel in charge of the examination, and organization of courses. Final recommendations were approved on the basis of the agreement of more than 50% of the members. Results-The minimum frequency recommended for performing dermatologic examinations was 15 MHz. Routine use of color Doppler ultrasound and the performance of spectr