Musculoskeletal Ultrasound : The Essentials

An introductory text which provides the investigator with all the basic information needed on how to begin performing musculoskeletal ultrasound, covering scanning technique, normal anatomy and common abnormalities of the heel and ankle, muscle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, wrist and soft tissue masses. As such it covers many of the most common joint and tendon injuries, for example Tennis Elbow and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. There are well over 300 skeletal muscles in the human body, and to understand their normal anatomy, and to diagnose systemic disease or the effects of injury to muscles, tendons, and soft tissues accurately it is essential to use a flexible and dynamic imaging system. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is an expanding area of medical imaging and this book will appeal to a wide audience given its focused, practical approach. The human body contains well over 300 skeletal muscles and to understand their normal anatomy, to diagnose systemic disease or the effects of injury to muscles, tendons and other soft tissues accurately it is vital to use an imaging modality which is flexible and dynamic. As a "real-time" modality, ultrasound permits the examination of the joint, be it shoulder, wrist, ankle, hip, knee or elbow in motion and the qualtiy of modern, medium and high frequency probes now gives excellent, cost-effective, results. Nevertheless, ultrasound remains a heavily operator dependent modality and a sound, practical understanding, on the part of both the technologist and the clinician of the basics of technique and interpretation is essential. This book provides a guide to the fundamental practical skills needed by the investigator in order to perform and interpret the results of musculoskeletal imaging using ultrasound. It clearly describes and illustrates the normal anatomical appearances of the musculoskeletal system, focusing on areas of common injury such as the foot, knee, wrist and ankle, and compares these appearances with those of common abnormal conditions, thus allowing the operator and clinician to carry out the basic procedures correctly and to make accurate diagnoses.