Teaching and credentialing in France

Scientific publications in the field of endoscopic ultrasonography are raising up since the last 20 years . In a recent paper, the number of articles devoted to EUS between the earliest 1980 and 2002 reached 1259 papers published in 65 journals [1]. The peak of the rate of publications per years seems to be reached in 1998. Out of the 1259 articles, 198 (15.7 %) were related to diseases of the biliary tract or the pancreas, either benign or malignant. In the same period, the number for indications of EUS investigations grew dramatically. In France, 48 039 EUS were performed in 1999 [2]. In USA, some authors have recently suggested that the currently available EUS resources are not sufficient to meet the hypothetical demand [2]. Therefore, the authors concluded that Endoscopy units able to perform EUS and programm trainings have to be increased [3]. The number of EUS seems to be still growing up in endoscopy unit recently equipped with EUS [4].

References

• 1 Fusaroli P, Vallar R, Togliani T, Khodadalian E, Caletti G. Sceinetific publications un endoscopic ultrasonography: a 20-year global survey of the literature.  Endoscopy. 2002;  34  451-456
• 2 Fournet J acques, Dhumeaux Daniel et S NFGE. L’endoscopie In Le Livre Blanc de l’hépato-gastroentérologie. p155-7 MASSON edts Paris; 2001
• 3 Parada K S, Peng R, Erikson R A, Hawes R, Sahai A V, Ziogas A R. et al . A resource utilization projection study of EUS.  Gastrointest endosc. 2002;  55  328-334
• 4 Ainsworth A P, Mortensen M B, Durup J, Wamberg P A. Clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasonography at a county hospital.  Endoscopy. 2002;  34  447-450
• 5 Loperfido S, Angelini G, Benedetti G, Chilovi F, Costan F, De Berardinis F. et al . Major early complications from diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP: a prospective multicenter study.  Gastrointest Endosc. 1998 ;  48  1-10
• 6 Freeman M L, Di Sario J A, Nelson D B, Fennerty B, Lee J G, Bjorkmann D J. et al . Risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis: a prospective, multicenter study.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2001;  54 425-434
• 7 Sivak M. EUS: past, present, and the future endoscopy.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2002;  55 446-447
• 8 Eisen G M, Dominitz J A, Faigel D O. et al . Guidelines for credentialing and granting privileges for endoscopic ultrasound.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2001;  54 811-814
• 9 Savides T J, Fisher A H, Gress F G, Hawes R H, Lightdale C J. 1999 ASGE endoscopic ultrasound survey. ASGE ad hoc endoscopic ultrasound comittee.  Gastrointest Endosc. 2000;  52 745-750
• 10 Schlick T, Heintz A, Junginger T. The examiner’s learning effect and its influence on the quality of endoscopic ultrasonography in carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia.  Surg Endosc. 1999;  13 894-898
• 11 Harewood G C, Wiersema L M, Halling A C, Keeney G L, Salamao D R. et al . Influence of EUS training and pathology interpretation on accuracy of EUS-guided fone needle aspiration of pancreatic masses.  Endosc. 2002;  55 669-673