SAGES Magazine

THE SOUTH AFRICAN GASTROENTEROLOGY REVIEW 2022 | VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 3 | 20 GF ULTRASOUND MEETING REPORT Over the last two decades, the use of Ultrasonography by clinicians at the bedside, has become increasingly popular as devices have become smaller, more accessible and more affordable. Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) refers to the use of ultrasound, in the hands of the clinician as opposed to the radiologist, and at the patient bedside. POCUS provides diagnostic information allows for a rapid diagnosis, often without the need of additional investigations and allowing for management to start promptly. With this in mind, and with Intestinal Ultrasound beginning to feature strongly at GI International Conferences and entering management guidelines, the Gastro Foundation hosted the first Liver/Intestinal POCUS meeting in Cape Town on the 29th and 30th of July with 26 Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists representing all GI/ Hepatology academic units in South Africa. Furthermore, senior sonographers from all the academic units were invited to attend and were exposed to newer techniques in the hope that they would be able to consolidate the teaching, clinicians obtained at the meeting, in the months ahead. Professor Gerhard Rogler from Switzerland’s Zurich University Hospital led the course along with his colleague Dr Luc Biedermann. Prof Gerhard Rogler certainly needs no introduction to the South African Gastroenterology community - a frequent visitor to SA. He excelled in a series of introductory lectures that were held virtually prior to the commencement of the course. These well balanced talks and videos, conveying the principles of bedside ultrasound, were embraced by eager physicians and allowed for a smooth transition to the hands-on and truncated course which followed and proceeded effortlessly and successfully. Prof Rogler has been running Intestinal Ultrasound courses for some time and has published a handbook which he kindly made available to all delegates. The meeting took place at the Crystal Towers Conference Centre – beginning with an evening of lectures and a repetition of some of the videos which were shown virtually prior to the course and allowed delegates to pose questions and to become more comfortable with newer concepts. We were out of our seats the next morning for the hands-on part of the course! Credit must be given to the amazing organization and set up of the facility by Bini Seale and her team and the Gastro Foundation particularly since this meeting was the first of its kind for the Foundation. Further thanks must be extended to the medical technology industry who brought a variety of ultrasound machines ranging from high-end to portable compact devices. 1st Intestinal and Liver POCUS meeting Cape Town July 29th and 30th 2022 “As soon as we got rid of the backroom attitude and brought our apparatus fully into the depart- ment with an inexhaustible supply of living patients with fascinating clinical problems, we were able to get ahead really fast. Any new technique becomes more attractive if it’s clinical usefulness can be demonstrated without harm, indignity or discomfort to the patient.” Sir Ian Donald - Medical Ultrasound Pioneer