The quality of ultrasonic images has seen radical improvement over the last couple of years,
and – as can be appreciated in the new edition of this Atlas of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
Anatomy – high frequency applications such as musculoskeletal ultrasound have profited
from this development.
Significant advances in ultrasonic probe design and refined manufacturing techniques
have resulted in transducers with outstandingly high bandwidth and sensitivity to provide
ultrasonic images with both excellent spatial resolution and penetration at the same time.
State-of-the-art transducer technology also boosts Doppler performance and supports
advanced imaging functions such as trapezoid scan for an extended field of view at no loss
of spatial resolution. High frequency matrix transducers make use of genuine 4-D imaging
technology to achieve finer and more uniform ultrasonic beams in all three dimensions to
deliver the most superb and artefact-free images from the very near to the far field.
Also the dramatic increase of processing power in premium ultrasound systems such
as the Aplio XG, with which most of the cases described in this book were acquired, has
triggered a quantum leap in image quality. Advanced platforms can process the amount of
data worth one DVD each second, which allows us to implement the most complex signal
processing algorithms to improve image quality, suppress artefacts and extract the desired
information from the ultrasonic raw data in real time.
Uncompromised image quality remains the fundamental merit and to support this in
obtaining the fastest and best informed disease management decisions, a variety of powerful
imaging functions such as Differential Tissue Harmonics, Advanced Dynamic Flow or
Precision Imaging have been developed. ApliPureþ real-time compounding, for example,
can simultaneously perform spatial and frequency compounding in transmit and receive to
enhance both image clarity and detail definition while preserving clinically significant
markers such as shadows behind echo-dense objects. These advanced imaging functions
work hand in hand with each other to provide the highest resolution and the finest detail.
Naturally, they can be combined with virtually any other imaging mode such as colour
Doppler or 3D/4D for even greater uniformity within each application.
In spite of all this technical development, we must not forget that the result of an
ultrasound scan is highly dependent on the examiner’s skills. Only the combination of
technological excellence with the dedication and expertise of ultrasound enthusiasts such as
the authors of this atlas makes ultrasonic images of outstanding diagnostic value as shown
in this book a reality.
