Deploying interventional ultrasound and elastography at Cua Dong General Hospital

Transfer of new techniques.

Ms. Tran Thi H (65 years old) in Vinh City has thyroid nodules. At the Functional Examination Department of Cua Dong General Hospital, she was tested, had her lesions determined and was diagnosed with the disease using simple, fast, accurate, painless steps and the results were given immediately after the procedure.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Cat said: "Testing and diagnosing cytology through fine needle aspiration of thyroid cells under ultrasound guidance aims to support cases of small tumors that are difficult to identify clinically; helps detect the correct location, minimizing possible complications during the aspiration process."

Bach Mai Hospital transfers ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology technique to Cua Dong General Hospital. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

From August 29-30, at Cua Dong General Hospital, the techniques of "fine needle aspiration of cells under ultrasound guidance and tissue elastography ultrasound" were performed - new techniques trained and transferred by leading experts of Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi.

Within the framework of the program, MSc. Ngo Le Lam - Officer of the Interventional Imaging Center of Bach Mai Hospital directly discussed and updated knowledge on "elastic ultrasound technique" for the medical team of Cua Dong General Hospital.

This is an opportunity for doctors and medical staff in the fields of diagnostic imaging, functional testing, testing, etc. to have their questions answered and receive guidance on principles, techniques and clinical applications from experts from Bach Mai Hospital.

Training in ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and tissue elastography techniques for doctors and nurses at Cua Dong General Hospital. Photo: Cung Nguyen

Doctor CKI Huynh Phuc Tho - Deputy Director of Cua Dong General Hospital said: "These techniques are applied for the first time at Cua Dong General Hospital. The technique of fine needle aspiration of cells under ultrasound guidance is very valuable in diagnosing whether the lesion is benign or malignant.

When performing ultrasound-guided aspiration of cells, the accuracy is higher, the procedure is easier and safer because the ultrasound will guide and position the aspiration to the correct lesion, select the suspected cancer location and avoid missing lesions.

Elastography of the liver tissue helps to accurately diagnose liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Elastography of the thyroid and breast glands provides additional information for B-Mode ultrasound and color Doppler ultrasound to diagnose and screen for breast cancer and thyroid cancer, limit unnecessary interventions, and avoid missing suspicious lesions.

On this occasion, the delegation of Bach Mai Hospital Hanoi also worked with the Board of Directors, clinical doctors of the Department of Functional Exploration, the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, and the Department of Testing of Cua Dong General Hospital on the development orientation of interventional ultrasound. At the meeting, Master Ngo Le Lam gave detailed advice on each stage to be able to develop and deploy techniques and committed to supporting the Hospital in many areas.

After the technology transfer, the hospital has deployed the construction of an interventional ultrasound room fully equipped according to the prescribed standards and invested in a modern tissue elastography ultrasound machine and other necessary equipment. The goal is to introduce new techniques (tissue elastography ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology) into routine practice at the hospital to help diagnose and successfully treat difficult cases.

Cytological diagnostic test at the Laboratory Department, Cua Dong General Hospital. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

Accordingly, the Hospital has transferred a number of specialized techniques such as: emergency resuscitation techniques, ultrasound elastography of liver, thyroid, and breast tissues, and fine needle aspiration of cells under ultrasound guidance in the diagnosis of tumor and nuclei cytology.
Along with that, Bach Mai Hospital continues to organize online consultations and training sessions to improve the professional qualifications of the medical staff, doctors and nurses of Cua Dong General Hospital; assign staff to take turns providing professional and technical support.
Through training activities, technology transfer, infrastructure renovation, and upgrading of medical equipment, we have contributed to improving the capacity for medical examination and treatment, and specialized treatment in specialized departments, in order to better meet and serve the needs of patients right at the facility; shortening the gap in quality of medical care between the central and local levels, contributing to reducing the burden on the central level.

The progress in the implementation roadmap of the “satellite hospital” project is opening an important turning point in the goal of improving the quality of medical examination and treatment of Cua Dong General Hospital; contributing to perfecting the model of a hospital attached to a hotel, aiming to provide high-quality medical services, and effectively carry out the work of protecting and taking care of the health of people in and outside the province./.