Becoming a musculoskeletal ultrasonographer

Abstract

Over the last decade, increasing numbers of rheumatologists have incorporated musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) as a valuable diagnostic tool into their clinical practice. Some countries have established training programmes for MSUS. The European League Against Rheumatism has developed education guidelines for the content and conductance of MSUS courses and it would be useful to standardise rheumatology MSUS training worldwide. A thorough knowledge of anatomy, US physics and technology, US scanning methods, US pattern of normal and pathological musculoskeletal tissues, definitions for US pathology, artefacts and pitfalls in both greyscale and Doppler modalities is necessary to perform efficient MSUS. MSUS training includes attending theoretical-practical and online courses, as well as studying textbooks and using digital video discs (DVDs). Having access to US equipment and performing supervised normal and pathological MSUS examinations for a training period are mandatory for consolidating MSUS learning. A proposal to accredit and certificate competence in MSUS is now being discussed.