Soundeffects News | New Voice Daria Monakhova, QLD

Daria Monakhova, QLD

Your session, Polyp to peril, highlights how small hepatobiliary findings can carry big implications. What motivated you to spotlight this topic at ASA2026?

Although part of a common abdominal scan, hepatobiliary ultrasound can often be a poorly understood area. We, as sonographers, are frequently the first point of call in investigating a wide range of abdominal symptoms or biochemistry results. We encounter small, incidental or even seemingly insignificant findings that have uncertain importance – particularly gallbladder polyps and subtle biliary changes. Yet these minor findings can sometimes present early markers or become clinically important depending on the context.

My motivation behind spotlighting this topic was to deepen my own understanding while exploring areas of uncertainty and emerging ideas in hepatobiliary imaging. ASA2026 felt like the perfect platform to revisit and unpack the fundamentals of this area in a meaningful way.

As a New Voice, what made you feel now was the right time to step forward and share your perspective with the wider sonography community?

As an early career sonographer, the New Voices platform felt like a great entryway into furthering my education and involvement. I’m hoping that my contribution will assist other sonographers at a similar level to revisit these common topics and assist with navigating evolving guidelines, increasing clinical expectations and challenging cases. It felt like the right time to step forward –not because I have all the answers, but because I’m interested in opening a pathway to more conversations and to improve my knowledge and skills.

As a first‑time presenter, what’s the preparation journey been like for you, and what’s giving you confidence heading into ASA2026?

The preparation journey for ASA2026 has been exciting and stretching. It’s pushed me to go beyond day-to-day scanning and really look into the literature, current guidelines, and the evidence behind our decisions and protocols. What’s given me confidence is grounding the session in real clinical cases, scenarios or questions we’ve all encountered. I’ve also had valuable feedback from colleagues and mentors, which has helped me refine my topic and its clinical relevance to keep it practical and directly applicable to everyday practice.

Opportunities like presenting or exploring niche areas have really helped build my confidence and broaden my perspective on what’s possible in the profession.

To others at a similar stage in their career, I’d say don’t be afraid to say yes and give things a go. One opportunity often leads to another, and sometimes that first step makes all the difference!

SESSION

SATURDAY 3:50pm – 4:40pm

PRESENTATION

Polyp to peril: Ultrasound insights in hepatobiliary imaging