Polish Ultrasound Society - Polskie Towarzystwo Ultrasonograficzne

Inhaltsübersicht

I was recently invited to Poland (Polish Ultrasound Society) to talk about contrast enhanced techniques in Zamosc in May 2006. I was amazed to find a beautiful Renaissance built city ("Padua of the North") next the to the Ukraine border with an exciting history and beautiful architecture.

History

Because of the political government controlled constitution, in the 1950s where ultrasound had started to develop, the basic structure of research and development in Poland differed from that of the Western world with respect to organisation and sponsoring. I was told that in 1983 the Section of Ultrasound was established within the Polish Radiological Society. It is of interest that all physicians using ultrasound were included in that society. In 1989 the number of members of the Section of Ultrasound increased and was higher than the original radiological society (more then 1000 doctors). In logical conclusion the Polish Ultrasound Society (PUS) was founded 1990. Nowadays Polish Ultrasound Society has approximately 1200 members - doctors of different specialization. Polish Ultrasound Society is a member of EFSUMB.

Board and sections

The board of PUS consist of 10 persons. At present the President is Prof. Dr. Andrzej Nowicki and the vicepresident Prof. Dr. Wieslaw Jakubowski, well known in Germany over decades. His "voice", Dr. Maciek Jedrzejczyk, gave us a warm welcome and took care of the foreign guests from England, Czech Republic and Germany.

The following sections are forming the society:

• Physics and equipment section,

• Surgical section,

• Gastroenterological section,

• Vascular (Doppler) section,

• Fetal echocardiography and obstetrics section.

Education

Quarterly "Ultrasonografia" is the official magazine of PUS. PUS runs own publishing catalog called "Praktyczna Ultrasonografia", 14 monographies concerning different ultrasound disciplines and topics have been released util now.

The ultrasound education (on basic and advanced levels) is conducted by Roztoczanska Szkola Ultrasonograficzna (RSU) by supervision of PUS. More than 1 700 doctors benefit from this ultrasound school next to Zamosc every year.

Scientific congress

The scientific congress of PUS takes place on a high academic level every 2 years in different parts of Poland. I joined the biannual meeting in May 2006 and found friends and friendly colleagues expressing so much interest in the evolving new techniques.

In 1995 PUS introduced its Certificate, the confirmation of ultrasound knowledge including theoretical and practical skills. Persons applying for the document needs 2 years of ultrasound practice (supervised by an ultrasound expert) and completing of theoretical course and practical training. Examinations are conducted in academical reference centres. Up to now more than 1 800 doctors in Poland have successfully passed the test and practical examination.

The Certificate has to be "renewed" every 5 years on the basis of every year minimum limit of accreditation points.

Prof. Dr. med. C. F. Dietrich

Caritas-Krankenhaus, Bad Mergentheim