Role of ultrasound in teaching Anatomy to first/ second year medical students

Abstract

Ultrasound demonstration of living anatomy has been used as asupplement in undergraduate cadaveric anatomy teaching toreinforce their anatomy knowledge and its importance in clinicalpractice. Ultrasound was incorporated into dissecting roomsession of upper/lower limb anatomy. Twenty-four first yeargraduate entry (A101) medical students and 121 second year(A100) medical students were included. A100 group weredemonstrated with/without line diagrams whereas A101 grouphad the benefit of cross-sectional anatomy images along with linediagrams. Questionnaires were distributed and qualitative datawas analysed using 2 proportion Z test and Fischer’s exact test.78% of A101 and 63% of A100 students found the teachinguseful/essential. A101 group had statistically significant positiveresponses for identifying bone (91.67% versus 70%, P = 0.02),vessels (91.67% versus 54.4%, P = 0.001) & nerves (45.83% versus12.60%, P = 0.001), finding line diagram useful/essential (95%versus 55.10%, P = 0.001) and being able to translate most/all ofthe structures on line diagram (61.90% versus 36.61%, P = 0.03)when compared with A100 group. Similar trend though notsignificant was obtained for identifying muscle (62.5% versus51.67%, P = 0.33) & tendons (45.83% versus 31.67%, P = 0.18).Majority of students found ultrasound as a useful tool inanatomy teaching. A101 group had better results probablybecause they had the advantage of having cross-sectional anat-omy images with line diagrams. Ultrasound could act as a usefuladjunct in teaching anatomy and its relevance to medicalstudents. It also enables them to develop skills in interpretingnormal ultrasound images/machine which they will encounter inclinical medicine.