The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) is proud to announce that the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) will present “A Sound Investment: SRU Consensus Statements, 2022–2024” on Sunday, April 27, during the 2025 ARRS Annual Meeting at Marriott Marquis Marina in San Diego, CA.
Part of a new SRU initiative, known as “SRU Presents,” this ARRS Featured Session will host the lead author of each of SRU’s four consensus statements [1–4] published over the past two-and-a-half years (Fig. 1), including routine pelvic ultrasound for endometriosis; ultrasonography of superficial soft-tissue masses; management of incidentally detected gallbladder polyps; and a lexicon for first-trimester ultrasound.
Fig. 1—Pathologically proven adenoma with high-grade dysplasia (courtesy of SRU)
Delivered as a quartet of didactic summaries, alongside practical cases from each corresponding publication (Fig. 2), “A Sound Investment: SRU Consensus Statements, 2022–2024” will detail the recent high-quality recommendations from these consensus panels, all of which included practicing radiologists and clinical experts in relevant fields.
Fig. 2—Transverse view of lower uterus with adhesions of deep endometriosis (arrows) to both ovaries, resulting in “kissing ovaries” typical of deep endometriosis (courtesy of SRU)
The expert moderators and lecturers for this ARRS Featured Session—all SRU fellows, as well as several past presidents of the society—will reinforce the modality’s most up-to-date nomenclature and guidelines (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3—Palpable “mass” (arrows) in right groin of patient with catheterization for cardiac ablation one month ago, corresponds to ill-defined, avascular region of increased echogenicity in subcutaneous fat, typical of fat necrosis (courtesy of SRU)
Specific “SRU Presents” lectures will focus on determining which gallbladder polyps do not require further imaging; how to describe and manage superficial soft-tissue masses; methods for augmenting routine pelvic ultrasound to detect endometriosis; and developing preferred terms and synonyms, as well as words to avoid, during first-trimester ultrasound.
All 2025 ARRS Annual Meeting registrants, in-person attendees and virtual participants, will be shown illustrative examples and have the opportunity to ask questions of the lead authors of these SRU Consensus Statements (Fig. 4), expediting their incorporation into routine dictation templates.
Fig. 4—Example of definite early pregnancy loss (EPL) with intrauterine gestational sac with mean sac diameter of 27 mm and no visible embryo (courtesy of SRU)
AJR Finds Interreader Agreement on SRU Incidental Gallbladder Polyp Recommendations
Earlier this year in ARRS’ own American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), 10 abdominal radiologists showed substantial agreement for gallbladder polyp risk categorizations and surgical consultation recommendations, although areas of reader variability were identified [5].
“The findings support overall reproducibility of the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) recommendations,” wrote Mark A. Anderson, MD, from the department of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “Nonetheless, efforts should seek to further improve the consistency of polyp risk categorization by radiologists.”
Anderson et al.’s AJR accepted manuscript included 105 patients (median age, 52 years; 75 women, 27 men) with a gallbladder polyp on ultrasound—without features highly suspicious for invasive or malignant tumor—who underwent cholecystectomy (January 1, 2003–January 1, 2021). Ten abdominal radiologists independently reviewed ultrasound examinations and, using SRU recommendations, assessed one polyp per patient for risk category (extremely low, low, indeterminate) and possible recommendation for surgical consultation. Interreader agreement was evaluated between five radiologists with less than 5 years of experience and five more experienced (≥ 5 years) radiologists. Polyps were classified pathologically, either neoplastic or nonneoplastic.
Ultimately, among 10 abdominal radiologists applying the SRU’s recommendations from 2022, interreader agreement for risk category assignments was substantial among all readers (k = 0.710), less-experienced readers (k = 0.705), and more-experienced readers (k = 0.692). Interreader agreement for surgical consultation recommendations was substantial among all readers (k = 0.795) and more-experienced readers (k = 0.740), and almost perfect among less-experienced readers (k = 0.811).
References
- Young SW, Jha P, Chamié L, et al. Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus on Routine Pelvic US for Endometriosis. Radiol 2024 Apr; 311:e232191. doi: 10.1148/radiol.232191
- Jacobson JA, Middleton WD, Allison SJ, et al. Ultrasonography of Superficial Soft-Tissue Masses: Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus Conference Statement. Radiol 2022 Jul; 304:18–30. doi: 10.1148/radiol.211101
- Kamaya A, Fung C, Szpakowski JL, et al. Management of Incidentally Detected Gallbladder Polyps: Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus Conference Recommendations. Radiol 2022 Nov; 305:277–289. doi: 10.1148/radiol.213079
- Doubilet PM, Benson CB, Bourne T, et al. Diagnostic Criteria for Nonviable Pregnancy Early in the First Trimester. Ultrasound Q 2014 Mar; 30:3–9. doi: 10.1097/RUQ.0000000000000060
- Anderson MA, Mercaldo S, Cao J, et al. Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus Conference Recommendations for Incidental Gallbladder Polyp Management: Interreader Agreement Among 10 Radiologists. AJR 2024 May; 222:e2330720. doi: 10.2214/AJR.23.30720