This is a personal commentary from Dr G. Harmat, on the previously published article by Dr Elisabetta Buscarini on "A Review of the Complication of interventional ultrasound in the Abdomen - Safety First" - A Personal Paediatric Radiology Commentary on "Review of the Complications of Interventional Ultrasound in the Abdomen - Safety First"

 

With the rapid development of new instrumentation it is now possible to carry out interventional procedures on ever younger children and even on neonates. As sedation and anaesthesia are also safer they can be utilised more freely. Physiological parameters such as respiration and circulation can be monitored closely throughout the whole procedure.

In our 15 years of experience we have undertaken 357 procedures on 125 children (Tab. [1]). We have shown that these procedures when performed on children need some special considerations to be taken into account.

In children interventional diagnostic procedures are only performed when all other methods of reaching a diagnosis have been exhausted and when a final histological diagnosis is required to determine treatment.

Ultrasound guided therapeutic interventional procedures may also be carried out in certain clinical circumstances where the alternative would be operative intervention e. g. the drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses or peritoneal fluid collections. In many cases this will provide a definitive cure.

Further Reading

• 1 Buscarini E . Review of Interventional Ultrasound in the Abdomen - "Safety First".  EFSUMB Newsletter Feb. 2004;  Issue 1
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• 2 Donaldson JS . Morello FP . Junewick JJ . O'Donovan JC . Dunham J . eripherally inserted central venous catheters: US-guided vascular access in paediatric patients.  Radiology. 1995;  197 (2) 542
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• 3 Christensen J . Lindquist S . Knudsen DU . Pedersen RS . Ultrasound-guided renal biopsy with biopty gun technique - efficacy and complications.  Pediatr Radiol. 1995;  25 (8) 643
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• 4 Nolsoe C . Nielsen L . Torp-Pederson S . Holm HH . Major complications and deaths due to interventional ultrasonography: A review of 8000 cases.  Acta Radiol. 1995;  36 (3) 276
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• 5 Harmat Gy . Kerényi I . Székely E . Dabous F . Examination and interventional ultrasound examination in children.  JMU. 1998;  19 (2/3) 153
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• 6 Kang M . Gupta S . Gulati M . Suri S . Olio-psoas abscess in the paediatric population: Treatment by US-guided percutaneous drainage.  Pediatr Radiol. 1998;  28 (6) 478
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