Assessment of efficacy of ultrasonography in cervical lymphadenopathy in oral malignancies

The Feasibility of Using Point of Care Ultrasound as a Visual Substitute for Physical Examination During Telehealth Visits: A Pilot Project

Telehealth provides greater opportunity for specialty access but lacks components of the physical exam. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may assist telehealth as a visual substitute for the provision of palpation. We conducted a prospective observational pilot project to survey oncologists about (1) their expectations of POCUS, (2) their use of POCUS in oncology telehealth visits, and (3) post-project assessment of their experiences. The results of the pre-assessment survey showed an interest among the oncologists in the ability to evaluate structures remotely via POCUS. POCUS was utilized in 6.4% of visits, most commonly for lymph node assessment (60% of use). POCUS was not utilized most often due to not being applicable to the patient's visit. There were 14 instances of technical issues limiting views of the relevant anatomy reported. Oncologists rated the use of POCUS as very satisfied or satisfied in the vast number of recorded responses. This pilot study suggests POCUS can be integrated into oncology telehealth visits for specific applications such as lymph node assessment. The surveys indicated a potential interest and positive responses that provide for the foundation of expansion to subspecialty care access for patients with telehealth supported by POCUS.

The applications of ultrasound, and ultrasonography in dentistry: a scoping review of the literature

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review aims to summarize the available literature on the clinical applications of ultrasonography and ultrasound in diagnostic, therapeutic, and interventional dental applications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and conducted a protocol-driven scoping review of randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and case series that assessed ultrasonography or ultrasound use as a stand-alone diagnostic, therapeutic, and interventional tool in dentistry. We included studies published after 1980, study samples ≥ 10, with diagnostic, concordance, or therapeutic outcomes. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and others (up to April 2021) and extracted information regarding study level, patient level, test or treatment level, and outcome level data.

RESULTS

Five interventional studies (related to oral medicine, temporomandibular disorders, and dental anesthesia), eight therapeutic studies (related to surgery and orthodontics), and seventy-five diagnostic studies (related to orthodontics, surgery, endodontics, oral medicine, temporomandibular disorders, restorative dentistry, and periodontology) were identified and presented in this review.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasonography has a well-established niche in diagnostic dentistry, while therapeutic and interventional ultrasounds have a smaller, yet present, niche in dentistry. However, further research is needed to report the precise estimates of the diagnostic, therapeutic, and interventional effects.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Dentists are mostly unfamiliar with ultrasonography and ultrasound and their potential uses. This review maps the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of ultrasonography and ultrasound technology in dentistry and highlights the current challenges, gaps of knowledge, and research status of ultrasound technology in this regard.