Introduction to facial ultrasound.
The use of ultrasound in facial aesthetics is rapidly gaining recognition as a valuable tool for improving treatment safety and precision. This presentation provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of facial ultrasound, including image acquisition, probe selection, and key anatomical landmarks relevant to aesthetic practice. Practical applications, including pre-treatment vascular mapping and post-treatment assessment, will be discussed. Attendees will gain insight into how ultrasound can be integrated into aesthetic medicine.

Introduction: Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) is a complex extension of ultrasound that can estimate the stiffness of soft tissue with potential applications for the measurement of muscle stiffness after stroke. Post-stroke muscular disorders are clinically measured through subjective tests such as the Tardieu Score, however SWE could provide muscle specific and quantifiable information. There have been no investigations into the use of SWE during the acute stage post-stroke as the altered muscle stiffness is developing. This research aims to determine the change in of muscles stiffness over time.
Methods: The stiffness of the short and long biceps brachii muscles of 24 stroke survivors were measured with SWE twice a week for the first four weeks after their stroke, at two elbow angles. Comparisons were made to the Tardieu clinical assessment for muscle stiffness to determine correlation.
Results: The short and long muscle bellies consistently displayed different stiffness measurements in both elbow positions. The stiffness of the muscle bellies changed independent of each other, with the short head of biceps more frequently increasing in stiffness at the third timepoint, approximately 10 days after stroke. The pattern of change over time was highly individual to the patient suggesting the need for serial assessments.
Conclusion: SWE can quantitatively measure the muscle stiffness of the biceps muscle after stroke and change over time.
Take home message: SWE of muscles could provide more information than current clinical assessments and allow an individualised rehabilitation plan. Post-stroke spasticity and disability could be reduced with SWE assessment.

Introduction: Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES) is a commonly misdiagnosed and under recognised cause of chronic pain occurring in the abdominal wall. It is characterised by focal pain caused by entrapment of nerves within the rectus abdominis. Diagnosis relies upon physical examination that looks for specific signs and symptoms including a positive Carnett’s sign and excluding other causes of abdominal wall pain. It is frequently overlooked as a cause of pain and relies on a physician with knowledge and understanding of the condition.
Method: The traditional role of imaging (including ultrasound) in the diagnosis of ACNES has been one of excluding other abdominal wall pathology such as hernia or rectus haematoma. We are attempting to increase ultrasound's role in diagnosis of the neurovascular bundle of the anterior cutaneous nerve and then secondly performing Carnett’s test under ultrasound dynamic imaging.
Results: Two cases are examined. The focal region of interest corresponded to the neurovascular bundle within the rectus abdominis. Under dynamic stress assessment provocation of pain was elicited and morphological change to the bundle was demonstrated. Case study 1 went on to have therapeutic injections which confirmed diagnosis and relieved symptoms.
Conclusion: By understanding the clinical presentation of this under recognised syndrome, ultrasound has a potential role the diagnosis of ACNES through its unique advantage of dynamic assessment.
Take home message: Ultrasound has the potential to be more than a tool for excluding differentials in the diagnosis of ACNES.

Introduction: Ultrasound is a non-invasive, low cost, imaging modality offering dynamic assessment of musculoskeletal (MSK) pathology. Accurate diagnosis demands specialist training. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to provide sonographers’ diagnostic support. A systematic review was conducted to analyse studies evaluating the use of AI and ultrasound for the diagnosis of MSK tendon pathology.
Methods: A comprehensive literature search of electronic databases was conducted on 20th March 2024 for all articles published from 2014-2024. Studies included compared diagnostic accuracy of AI models with that of stand-alone ultrasound (US) imaging. 331 studies were imported for screening from which 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eligible publications focused on MSK tendon pathology using AI and US to enhance diagnostic capabilities. All studies represented adults with MSK tendon pathology.
Results: Of the 15 studies, nine used deep learning-based algorithms, three employed conventional machine learning based algorithms and three used computer aided diagnostic support systems. While all papers indicate AI enhances the diagnostic capabilities of MSK tendon pathology, the heterogeneity of studies made it difficult to analyse the metrics comparatively.
Conclusion: This study confirms AI is a beneficial aid in the diagnoses of MSK pathology despite varied metrics hindering comparative analysis. Future studies should focus on methodology to ensure accurate reproducibility and validation strategies. The paucity of studies reviewed are due to the emergent nature of this field hence limiting interpretability, nonetheless the integration of AI in medical imaging has the potential to increase diagnostic capability enhancing patient care.

While herniae are common, there are numerous causes of abdominal and chest wall pathology beyond the humdrum. Bellies come in all shapes and sizes and knowledge of the broad spectrum of pathology one may encounter is pertinent to avoiding misdiagnosis.

This presentation will cover ‘crunch time diagnoses’ including rectus tears, rhabdomyolysis and slipping rib syndrome amongst other less common entities. Key discussion points are validated through the presenter’s own case studies, with an emphasis on the clinical presentation and anatomical considerations of each.