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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Smith and colleagues,¹ to continue to establish the legitimacy of surgeon-performed ultrasonography, have produced another excellent study. Their methods for evaluating the learning curve in senior surgical residents were very interesting, and the results continue to corroborate the use of this practice in trauma centers; however, some methodological issues should be discussed further.

The authors stated that the standard criteria for the evaluation of the sonographic examination's accuracy in their study was computed tomography, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, operative exploration (OE), or observation. During the study period, 85.8% of the patients were either observed or operatively explored. Possibly, those who underwent OE were different from those who did not. Since the accuracy of the OE in detecting free fluid is higher as compared with observation, the standard criteria could systematically differ and the measurement bias could alter the results. The more severe cases, in which was probably easier to detect free . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Corresponding author: Anderson Rech Lazzaron, Rua Pedro Chaves Barcelos 375/201, CEP: 90450-010, Porto Alegre/RS, Brasil (e-mail: anrela@zaz.com.br).

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