Revised 08/2020

DMS 204 - Introduction to General Sonography (3 CR.)

Course Description

Discusses the principles of abdominal, pelvic, and small parts sonography through the exploration of related anatomy, sonographic appearances, and common pathologies. Lecture 2 hours per week. Lab 2 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to introduce abdominal sonography as cross-training for students studying a sonography specialty area other than general ultrasound. This will enable DMS students to function in clinical settings that practice multiple sonography specialties.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

The student must satisfactorily complete all previous sonography courses with a grade of “C” or better.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

The course objectives align with the National Education Curriculum for Sonography (NEC) provided by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRCDMS). http://www.jrcdms.org/nec/. At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the normal anatomy, variants and function of abdominal, small parts, and pelvic organs.
• Describe appropriate sonographic technique and normal sonographic appearance of abdominal, small parts, and pelvic organs.
• Correlate clinical indication and laboratory values associated with diseases of the abdominal, small parts, and pelvic organs.
• Identify common pathology in terms of sonographic appearances.
• Identify normal and abnormal vascular flow characteristics and waveforms.

Major Topics to Be Included

• Normal anatomy, normal physiology, and common pathophysiology of the following structures:
  • Urinary System
  • Pelvis
  • Liver
  • Biliary System
  • Abdominal Vasculature
  • Thyroid
• Sonographic appearances and vascular patterns for both normal and diseased states for the following structures:
  • Urinary System
  • Pelvis
  • Liver
  • Biliary System
  • Abdominal Vasculature
  • Thyroid