W384 AJR:190, June 2008

AJR 2008; 190:W384 0361–803X/08/1906–W384 © American Roentgen Ray Society

Book Review

Fundamentals of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound is a new book by Jon A. Jacobson, a musculoskeletal radiologist from the University

of Michigan School of Medicine and a well-recognized expert in the use of sonography in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders. The book is published by Elsevier Health Sciences, the publisher of the Fundamentals of Radiology Series textbooks.

There are eight chapters with 384 pages including a section of color plates. Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter discussing the equipment, basic scanning and interventional techniques, basic anatomy, sonographic appearance of normal structures, sonographic artifacts, and other special sonographic applications such as color and power Doppler sonography, tissue harmonic imaging, spatial compound sonography, extended field of view, 3D sonography, pulsed-wave or duplex Doppler sonography, and dynamic imaging. Chapter 2 reviews the sonographic appearance of common abnormalities such as muscle and tendon injury, bone injury, infection, inflammatory arthritis, soft-tissue foreign bodies, and soft-tissue masses. Chapters 3 through 8 discuss each major joint of the appendicular skeleton: shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, hip and thigh, knee and ankle, and foot and lower leg. Each chapter is organized in the following format:

short discussion of the pertinent anatomy of the joint, examination technique showing the sonographic appearance of normal structures (nicely summarized by a table showing a checklist that can also be found in the back cover), and disorders in a similar order: tendon and muscle abnormalities, ligament abnormalities, osseous injury, bursa and joint abnormalities, peripheral nerve abnormalities, and soft-tissue masses.

The few tables that the author created are effective in summarizing the main point of the discussion. I wish that the author had used more tables to summarize the sonographic appearance of normal structures; sonographic artifacts; sonographic findings of common abnormalities such as tendinosis, partial-thickness tendon tear, full-thickness tendon tear, complex fluid, and synovitis; and normal sonographic measurements of bursae and joint recesses. Jacobson covers up-to-date information; the hip chapter even discusses femoroacetabular impingement, a current hot topic in musculoskeletal imaging.

The sonographic images are illustrative of the abnormalities that Jacobson discusses in the text. Most are of high quality, and the illustrations are beautiful. Photographs of the position of the sonographic examination are helpful. However, frequently the figures are not on the same or opposite page, making it difficult to refer to the figures during reading.

Sonographic images can be difficult to interpret. Therefore, orientation of the sonographic images would be helpful for the inexperienced reader: for example, directly labeling “medial/lateral” on the transverse images and orienting the sonographic images in the same plane as the photographs of the sonographic technique. It would be better if the color images were located within the respective chapters instead of a separate section.

Because Jacobson is the sole author of the book, the writing style is consistent and easy to read. There were only a few typographical errors. In the preface, Jacobson states that his goal is “to teach the fundamentals of musculoskeletal ultrasound in a concise and efficient manner.” He clearly achieved his objective. This book will appeal to both musculoskeletal and general radiologists and should be part of any radiology library.

Liem T. Bui-Mansfield Brooke Army Medical Center

San Antonio, TX Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

DOI:10.2214/AJR.07.3605

WEB—This is a Web exclusive article.

The opinions and assertions contained herein are those of the author and should not be construed as official or as representing the opinions of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

Fundamentals of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. By Jon A. Jacobson. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Health Sciences, 384 pp., 2007. $79 softcover (ISBN-10: 1416035931; ISBN-13: 9781416035930)

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