Sonography is an ideal real-time imaging technique for the evaluation of muscles and tendons of the extremities, and this book is a useful reference for both the technique of examination and normal ultrasound anatomy. The first part considers technical aspects of the examination such as sonographic equipment, water-path systems, and dynamic maneuvers. The basic sonographic patterns of normal muscles, tendons, and other components of the extremities are then presented. Emphasis has been placed on pitfalls and artifacts. The other available imaging techniques for muscles and tendons are also discussed. The second part comprises an atlas of normal ultrasound scans of shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, thigh, knee, leg, ankle, and foot, with accompanying explanatory line drawings.

Since the beginnings of diagnostic ultrasound in the 1950s, each decade has seen significant advances in this technology. Commer cialization of ultrasound occurred during the 1960s with the introduction of many of the clinical uses that are in existence today. The 1970s showed the most dramatic changes with the commercial introduction of gray-scale and real-time ultrasound. In the 1980s many new advances were introduced, including color Doppler, as well as a wide variety of endoluminal approaches, including endorectal, endovaginal and transesophageal. The decade of the 1990s promises even more significant advances with further transducer miniaturization, three-dimensional ultra sound, and the introduction of a variety of ultrasound contrast agents. With such rapid changes occurring, it becomes important to disseminate knowledge in as rapid a fashion as possible, thus it was quite appropriate that a meeting such as this be held to provide an in-depth review of the many new areas of ultrasound imaging that show promise for the future. Emphasis was on the new uses of ultrasound in gastrointestinal diseases. Many of these advances will, of course, also have applications in many other areas of the body. It is hoped that those in attendance will acquire a much broader understanding of where ultrasound is now and where it is headed in the not too distant future.

Over a mere 5 years, neonatal cranial sonography has evolved from an obscure and largely experimental imaging possibility to the modality of preference in the examination of the young brain. The almost immediate acceptance of the ultrasound examination of the neonatal brain was based on a number of coinci dent factors, the most important of which was the emergence of a burgeoning population of premature neonates who were, for the first time, surviving be yond infancy. These delicate patients were beginning to withstand the rigors of extrauterine life when not fully prepared for it; pulmonary, cardiac, and infec tious diseases no longer claimed most of them. With survival, a new specter reared its head: Would the eventual mental and neurologic status of these same children be worth the expense and time needed to bring them through their first months? This issue became increasingly pressing as evidence mounted through the 1970s that very premature neonates were at a high risk for intracranial hemor rhage and posthemorrhagic complications. An imaging modality that could evaluate the premature brain was sorely needed. The CT scanner with its proven ability to diagnose intracranial hemorrhage was of little value in this regard. So too were static gray-scale or waterpath ultrasound units. These modalities all had the same limitation, lack of portability. As neonatal intensive care units proliferated, so did the technology that would soon allow cribside neonatal neuroimaging, the real-time sector scanner."

Technical improvements over the past twenty years have made endos copy the procedure of choice for examination of the hollow organs of the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts. The development of electro surgical techniques, laser technology, injection therapy, and a wide variety of other modalities now allow the endoscopist to treat many problems that in the past required open surgery. The simultaneous development of transcutaneous abdominal sonography has had an equally dramatic impact on the practice of gastrointestinal and geni tourinary surgery. The marriage of these proven technologies, known as endoscopic sonography, provides an exciting new modality that promises to further revolutionize the diagnosis and management of many intraabdominal diseases. Endoscopic sonography opens new frontiers by overcoming the primary limitations of its parent technologies. Fiberoptic endoscopy is limited by the inability to see beyond the luminal surface, this is particularly important when considering neoplastic disease because depth of wall invasion is a key factor in determining treatment. The limiting factor in transcutaneous sonography is the distance between the transducer and the target organ. With endoscopic sonography, the transducer is placed in close proximity to the target organ. This allows the use of high frequency waves (greater than 5 MHz), which provide better tissue resolution and eliminates the image distortion caused by overlying structures.

Only a few years ago, most treatises on sonography covered all the diagnostic applications of ultrasound, de scribing organs from the brain down to the placenta. Dr. Bruneton and his associates must be thanked for pre senting this book devoted to the spleen. It probably offers the most complete presentation of details and the richest images available in its field. This book will thus become the ultimate reference in most libraries of books on son ography. March 1988 F. Weill The authors wish to thank Christine Rostagni, Fran ise Fein, and Bernard Fontaine for their assistance in the preparation of this book. Contents 1 Sonographic Anatomy of the Normal Spleen, Normal Anatomic Variants, and Pitfalls B. Senecail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1 Anatomy of the Spleen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1. 1 Morphology and Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1. 2 Location and Relations of the Spleen. . . . . . . . 3 1. 1. 3 Average Dimensions of the Cadaver Spleen . . . . 5 1. 1. 4 Congenital Anomalies and Normal Variants. . . . 5 1. 1. 4. 1 Fissured Spleen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 1. 4. 2 Lobulated Spleen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 1. 4. 3 Spleen with Two Hili. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 1. 4. 4 Wandering or Ectopic Spleen . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. 1. 4. 5 Numeric Anomalies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ultrasonography of the Spleen . . . . . . . . . . . 1. 2 6 1. 2. 1 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. 2. 2 Patient Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1. 2. 3 Scanning Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1. 3 Sonographic Features of the Normal Spleen. . . . 7 1. 3. 1 Splenic Contour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1. 3. 2 Echo Pattern of the Splenic Parenchyma. . . . . ."

Vascular diagnostics traditionally rely on x-ray angiography. This approach remains even today essential in the clinical work-up of patients with vascular pathology. Recently, however, newer imaging modalities have been intro duced to assess vascular disease. Among these the color Doppler flow and magnetic resonance imaging appear the most promising. Due to their noninva sive character both methods are ideally suited for screening as well as serial follow-up of vascular patients. The emergence of color Doppler flow and magnetic resonance vascular imaging coincides with new concepts in vascular medicine. Today, vascular prevention and percutaneous interventions are becoming the leading compo nents in modern vascular care. It is in this new and exciting environment of novel vascular concepts where the demand for reliable noninvasive vascular imaging is becoming a high priority. Color Doppler flow and magnetic reso nance vascular imaging are well on the way to satisfy this demand. This textbook provides the long awaited information on vascular imaging by color Doppler flow and magnetic resonance. The text covers the essentials of vascular anatomy, physiology and noninvasive imaging technology before providing a state-of-the-art review of their current clinical applications. All chapters are written by competent scientists and clinicians in a clear, conscise and yet thorough and exhaustive manner. The coherent and didactic composi tion of the textbook allows the reader an easy access to the elementary as well as the advanced principals and clinical applications of the modern noninvasive vascular imaging.

Congenital hip dysplasia and dislocation are common diseases of newborns and small infants, with frequently severe consequences if orthopaedic therapy is not initiated at an early stage. Therefore many clinicians have been looking for a simple method for the investigation of the hip joint in the early neonatal period. Up to 1980 the diagnosis of hip dysplasia could usually not be made before the 3rd month of life, by means of pelvic roentgenography. Only incomplete or complete unilateral dislocations were diagnosed in the neonatal age group. In 1980, however, Graf, an Austrian orthopaedic surgeon, began using ultrasound investigation ofthe hip joint in newborns and small infants in order to make an early diagnosis and to avoid radiation exposure. The intention of the present study was to compare ultrasound of the hip joint with other established diagnostic procedures and to establish whether it is suitable as a screening procedure in newborns. 2 Incidence of Congenital Hip Dysplasia and Dislocation In 1972 Barlow reported that 90 % of hips which are unstable at birth develop to normal joints spontaneously without any therapy. Visser (1984) thus suggested determining the percentage of hip dislocations after the 2nd - 3rd month of life so that children with spontaneous stabilisation would be excluded.

Sonography is a noninvasive diagnostic method that has gained an established place in many branches of medicine. Although the inability of ultrasound to penetrate bone delayed its application in the orthopedic field, the successful work of R. Graf in the early detection of pediatric hip disorders with ultra sound has served as an impetus for the increasing use of sonogra phy to detect and evaluate abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system. It is certain that further advances in this modality will be forth coming, and that sonography will be applied to new lines of inves tigation in orthopedic diagnosis. In Arthrosonography the authors use concise text and copious illustrations to demonstrate the potential applications of articular ultrasound, its diagnostic capabilities, and technical aspects of the ultrasound examination. Potential pitfalls are also explained. This book is the logical outcome of the application of diagnos tic ultrasound in orthopedics and rheumatology. It covers all basic practical aspects of arthrosonography and will be a valued re source for those concerned with the evaluation of the musculo skeletal system. HANS RETTIG Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Piezoelectric Effect - The Basis of Modem Sonography . . . . . . 1 Ultrasound Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . 1 General Principles of Diagnostic Ultrasound 2 Landmarks for Arthrosonography 6 Artifacts ........ . 6 Reverberations . . . . . 7 Hyperbolic Artifacts . . 7 Acoustic Mirror Image . 8 Special Phenomena in Arthrosonography 8 "Wandering Echo" Phenomenon . ."

Medical applications of ultrasound range from therapy, foetal monitoring, diagnostic imaging and blood flow measurement, to surgery and lithotripsy. Ever since the earliest developments of medical ultrasound there has been an interest in the measurement and characterisation of the ultrasonic fields generated in these applications, either for assessment of performance of equipment or for safety. Until recently, procedures for acoustic output measurements were ill-defined, but standards are now being developed internationally by the International Electrotechnical Commission (1EC) and reliable commercial measuring equipment is becoming more widely available. The aim of this book is to introduce acoustic output measurement techniques and to provide an insight into the measurement methods. The material presented is based on a course originally run during November 1989 at the National Physical Laboratory. In addition to the lectures, the course consisted of a series of practicals to allow participants to gain experience of making measurements. Teddington, UK Roy C. Preston February 1991 Contents List of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii List of Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Safety of Diagnostic Ultrasonic Equipment: The Relevance of Acoustic Output Information to the Clinical User R. C. Preston 1. 1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. 2 The Relevance of Acoustic Output Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. 2. 1 What Is Acoustic Output Information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. 2. 2 What Is Acoustic Output Information Used For? . . . . . . . 6 1. 2. 3 Why Should You Know the Acoustic Output Levels of Your Equipment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. 2. 4 Are Acoustic Output Levels Really that Important? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Owing to the anatomic complexity of the neck and the diver sity of pathologic entities affecting it, the cervical region has long been of great semiological interest. Physical examination is an easy means of evaluating the size and origin of a solitary cervical mass, yet valid interpretation can prove difficult when the normal morphology of the neck has been altered; excellent examples are patients with extensive fibrosis or scarring secondary to previous irradiation or surgery. Like wise, physical examination cannot assess the relations of a pathologic process to adjacent structures - e. g., invasion can not be distinguished from simple displacement -and it is un suitable for monitoring therapeutic efficacy, such as the re sponse of metastatic nodes to medical management. Between physical examination, which remains fundamental, and exploratory surgical procedures, which are often the only means of obtaining indispensable anatomic proof for diagno sis, lie a number of recent imaging techniques including com puted tomography and magnetic resonance imaging using surface coils that provide invaluable information for the in vestigation of cervical pathologies. Real-time ultrasonogra phy occupies a privileged position because of its noninvasive ness, rapidity, and reliability, especially when performed by a specially trained examiner."

Dr. Jean Lintermans came to Seattle in 1962 from his general pediatric residency at the University of Iowa. He worked with us in clinical pediatric cardiology and in our animal physiology laboratory for the next three years. He was the most productive individual in the history of our training program, publishing seven papers in those three years, four clinical papers and three involving pulsed ultrasonic flowmeters and implanted ultrasonic displacement devices in animals. The work, from laboratory to publication, was always done with the utmost attention to accuracy, and was well developed conceptually. Although English was not his native language, Jean's mastery of English was not only excellent, I felt that he actually communicated better than many of our native physicians. During the past year, I was delighted to learn that Jean was preparing a textbook on pediatric echocardiography with Dr. van Dorp, and was even more pleased to be asked to write a foreword .. However, the greatest pleasure came from actually reading this book, and finding that it does indeed have a unique approach, and with the additional genuine benefit to the reader of a thorough, consistent, segmental approach to the diagnosis of congenital heart disease.

In January 1995, 300 participants from Asia, USA, and Europe lively discussed the "State of the Art and Future Aspects of CT" in Peking, China. The workshop was designed to cover all essential aspects of modern CT imaging including the historical development, different techniques, contrast agents, organ systems, and indications. The comparative evaluation of CT versus MRI and ultrasound was a central topic. Additionally, a special session was dedicated to "Angiography Tomorrow." This book summarizes the state of the art in both conventional and spiral CT imaging and provides some suggestions as for the future role of the method.

3.2 Technique ............. '. . . . . . . 123 3.3 Drainage Catheters: Materials and Selection . 139 3.4 The Loop Catheter . . . . . . . . . . 141 4 Aspiration of Pancreatic Pseudocysts 145 E. Concluding Remarks 149 151 References " Subject Index . 158 VII List of Contributors BURGER, H. R, Dr. med., Oberarzt, Institut fur Pathologie, Univer sitiit Zurich, SchmelzbergstraBe 12, CH-8091 Zurich EINIGHAMMER, H.J., Dipl. Phys., Dr. rer. nat., Neurologische Uni versitatsklinik, MoorenstraBe 5, 0-4000 Dusseldorf HAUKE, R, Dipl., Phys., Dr. rer. nat., Gesellschaft fur Medizin. Techn. Informationssysteme, MarienstraBe 2,0-7910 Neu-Ulm PEmo, G., Professor Dr. med., Leitender Arzt, Abteilung fUr Zytolo gie, Institut fur Pathologie, Universitatsspital, CH-8091 Zurich " ... so it is not good for men to fear all that is not already known and settled, and thus feel that it is bad and harmful to strive for a greater perfection than already exists." Holderlin to his mother, 16. November 1799 A. Introduction 1 General The modem cross-sectional imaging methods of sonography and computed to mography, developed in the early 1970s, have contributed greatly to noninva sive studies of the parenchymatous organs and permit the evaluation of patho logic changes in areas that were previously accessible only to invasive, indirect, or inadequate examination."

It will be a long time before the quality of this profusely illustrated book is overtaken and the present spate of books on the subject of obstetric ultrasound may, as a result, suffer a numerical set-back - especially with translation into English which will "deliver the milk on everyone's doorstep". Two of the authors studied in our department in Glasgow and worked like If there are any rewards for teaching, then we humble Scots who demons. have had the privilege have had more than our share as a result of the pride with which we regard our pupils. In my own old age and looking back over the last thirty years, the innumer able difficulties, set-backs and disappointments have been more than compen sated for by those who have turned the subject from a laughable eccentricity (as I have at one time experienced) into a science of increasing exactitude. This transformation has come about, not by any efforts of mine, but by the enthusiasm and ingenuity of those who would probably have achieved as much on their own if given the encouragement which I ultimately received in Glasgow University life. Limbo must be the expected lot of most of us ordinary mortals but the work lives on. And so, in this reminiscent and philosophical mood I beg leave to quote a little poem which I wrote at an age when young men do that sort of thing.

Any book with the words percutaneous and interventional is immediately identified as one that brings to its readers a distillation of a number of new and exciting techniques. Percutaneous is not exactly a new word but it has come to take on an entirely new meaning in recent years. Interventional is a recent acquisition to medical language indicating an entirely new approach to many aspects of medical management. Exactly when is the right time to make a distillation of new thoughts and expertise requires something of the art of a master brewer. First the ingredients must be prepared, the recipe must be just right, there must be excellent quality control as well as the master brewer's touch to produce the product when the time is right. Dr. Lang has assembled just the right ingredients in the form of a very impressive team of experts in these new fields of uroradiology and urological management. Ventures into percutaneous urology may date back 30 years but the main growth in the range of procedures and the development of the technology has occurred only in the last 10 years. Relieving upper tract obstruction seemed a natural sequel to renal biopsy but the imagination to develop an effective treatment for stones was an impressive extension of the concept of minimally invasive surgery.

The acute abdomen is one of the most frequent, most dangerous and most difficult problems that the diagnostic radiologist has to deal with. This comprehensive manual presents a clinico-radiologic approach to the use of diagnostic imaging techniques for acute abdominal conditions. Imaging techniques, radiologic symptoms and clinical conditions are treated separately. This lucid format, together with a detailed subject index, offer the reader a quick and reliable reference aid in daily practice. The text is clearly structured and concise in style, and provides helpful practical hints, including discussion of diagnostic pitfalls. It is supported by a wealth of illustrations covering native diagnosis, ultrasonography, computer tomography and angiography.

Just a very few years after Edler and Hertz had described the clinical use of M-mode echocardiographyl Satomura reported the application of Dop 2 pler ultrasound to the study of cardiac function. Yet Doppler ultrasound has been integrated into diagnostic practice in cardiology much more slowly than conventional (M-mode and two-dimensional) echocardiogra phy. Now, however, tremendous growth in the interest of clinicians in the diagnostic use of Doppler ultrasound can be observed and may in fact be due to the recent advent of color flow imaging. The reason for this growth may be that this method makes it possible to directly visualize the blood flow in the cardiovascular system in cross-sectional views. Moreover, the results are reproducible and much easier to understand than the older mapping techniques using a single-gate Doppler. In its short existence many different names have been used to describe this method, for instance, color Doppler, color flow imaging, real-time two-dimen sional Doppler echocardiography, and Doppler flow imaging. This diver sity reflects the large interest that many researchers have shown in this method. The technical development of color blood flow imaging (CBFI) - as this method will be called in this book - has not yet reached a universally accepted standard of performance in cardiology. Despite this state of flux and the uncertainty about future developments, I think it is justified to dedicate an entire book to this fascinating method."

by Dr. Jan. J. Smulewicz Ultrasound imaging has reached a stage of sophistication where by diagnostic information can be gained without discomfort to the patient and with complete absence of morbidity and mortality. The procedure is quick, safe, noninvasive and in many instances can supersede and obviate more time-consuming procedures requiring catheterization, injection of a contrast material, and radiographic imaging. In obstetrical problems the danger of ionizing radiation to the fetus is eliminated. In debilitated and very ill patients this simple and painless method becomes the procedure of choice. Unique features of ultrasound equipment allow for pinpoint local ization oflesions and direct visual guidance of percutaneous puncture techniques for aspiration and biopsy. The accuracy of ultrasound guided punctures and the absence of side effects make this modality far superior to percutaneous invasive techniques performed with other imaging systems. Renal cyst puncture and amniocentesis are but two of the procedures in which ultrasonic guidance is the method of choice. v Dr. Hassani has throughly explained and carefully explored the wide variety of exam inations available with ultrasound. The large volume of material and the clear interpre- tion makes this book of great interest to all of the medical profession. In addition to the existing methods available for diagnostic in terpretations, this method of noninvasive diagnosis should find its way into every hospital or center where good medical care is provided. JanJ. Smulewicz, M.D."

Very thorough knowledge of breast pathology is a sine qua non for interpretation of breast films ... progress in X-ray diagnosis could only be made by careful comparison of the film with the actual specimen. H.INGLEBY Multiplication of the same e"oneous diagnosis does not make that diagnosis co"ect. J.G.AzZOPARDI Paradoxically enough, our specialty considers the radiologist who mis takes a skin fibroma or the calcifications in a sponge kidney for a kid ney stone to lack basic knowledge, while the radiologist who imme diately calls for the surgeon because of a few white spots on a mammogram is thought to be acting according to the rules of medical practice. Misunderstandings and confusion with regard to breast pathology as well as the comfortable philosophy that superfluous biopsies are the price we have to pay for the early detection of carcinomas have in many places led to a loss of confidence in mammography. Yet this is a meth od with which carcinomas can be detected earlier than with any other imaging technique.

Diagnostic ultrasound is changing dramatically because of the development of a variety of high resolution real-time scanning instruments. Until recently the standard instrument was the articulated arm contact scanner. Real-time scanners were viewed as adjunct instruments for specific and limited pur poses. The roles are reversing with real-time instruments more frequently accepted as the primary diagnostic tool and the contact scanner becoming the ancillary instrument for use mainly for viewing a large field that cannot be scanned with real-time instruments. Two recent editorials stated that real-time instruments were used as the sole diagnostic instrument for between 80% [Cooperberg (2)] and 98% [Bartrum and Crow (1)] of their abdominal examinations. This book introduces the reader to the field of real-time scanning in the abdomen. It presupposes an understanding of basic physical concepts of ultrasound, the appearance of both normal and pathologic conditions as produced by static articulated arm contact scanning, and a familiarity with the techniques of contact scanning. It is designed to acquaint the reader with the spectrum of real-time instrumentation, provide a basic understanding of the physics of ultrasound as related to these instruments, emphasize the special skills required in the use of this equipment, and describe applications of real-time scanning for various parts of the abdomen. While numerous illustrations of both normal and pathologic anatomy are shown, the book is an all-inclusive study of abdominal pathology as demonstrated by real-time imaging.

by Dr. Donald L. King The past decade has seen the ascent of ultrasonography to a preeminent position as a diagnostic imaging modality for obstetrics and gynecology. It can be stated without qualification that modern obstetrics and gynecology cannot be practiced without the use of diagnostic ultrasound, and in particular, the use of ultrasonogra phy. Ultrasonography quickly and safely provides detailed, high resolution images of the pelvic organs and gravid uterus. The quality and quantity of diagnostic information obtained by ultra sonography far exceeds anything previously available and has had a revolutionary impact on the management of patients. High resolution static images permit the intrauterine diagnosis of fetal growth retardation and fetal abnormalities. In addition to tradi tional images, newer dynamic imaging techniques allow observa tion of fetal motion, cardiac pulsation, and respiratory efforts. The use of ultrasonography for guidance has greatly augmented the safety and utility of amniocentesis. One of the great virtues of diagnostic ultrasound has been its apparent safety. At present energy levels, diagnostic ultrasound appears to be without any injurious effect. Although all the availa ble evidence suggests that it is a very safe modality and that the benefit to risk ratio is very high, the actual safety margin for its use Vll as yet remains unknown. As a consequence, practitioners are urged to limit its use only to those situations in which genuine clinical indica tions exist and real benefit to the patient is likely to result."

This is a unique book in that it brings together the two key investigative techniques in Gynaecology and Obstetrics, namely ultrasound and endoscopy. So often in the past they were regarded by their exponents as rival techniques but it is now recognised that they are complementary to each other. Consequently future trainees in endoscopy should become efficient in transvaginal sonography and vice versa. Ultrasound can be used to study the morphology of the pelvic organs such as the endometrium, myometrium and ovaries, and being non-invasive, safe and convenient can be repeated as often as is deemed necessary to monitor changes over time; for example in the investigation of the infertile woman the development of the dominant follicle, the maturation of the endometrium and the formation of the corpus luteum can be documented throughout the menstrual cycle while growth of ovarian cysts can be precisely measured to determine the need for surgery. A seldom-mentioned strength of the ultrasound examination is its interactive quality, for example by performing abdominal palpation during the scan, the mobility of the uterus and ovaries can be assessed. Also the images as they appear can be shown to the patient to aid understanding. Ultrasound can also determine function and the use of Doppler has been used for example to access endometrial receptivity, follicular maturity and the likelihood of malignancy in the endometrium or ovary.

Cardiac ultrasound has rapidly developed into one of the most important clinical methods for diagnosis and follow-up of patients with heart disease and has changed the practice of cardiology permanently. In addition to improving image quality, most of the progress relies on digital image acquisition, storage, and quantitative analysis equipment. Automatic endocardial detection and three- dimensional reconstruction are now being developed. The progress with contrast echocardiography for myocardial perfusion imaging and results with tissue characterization is slow, but ever increasing, illustrating that the full potential of the method has not yet been explored. All of these digital techniques are extensively dealt with in this volume. Computerized tools will help the clinical cardiologists in their daily practice and stimulate further development to gen- uinely improve patient care in the coming years. We wish to thank the authors to this volume for their excellent contribution and Mrs. T. van der Kolk for secretarial assistance. IX Contributors F. J. ten Cate Thorax Center, Erasmus University, P. O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands R. Erbel II Medical Clinic, Johannes Gutenberg University, Langenbeckstr. 1, P. O. Box 3960, D-6500 Mainz, FRG Co-authors: R. Zotz, B. Henkel, G. Schreiner, C. Steuernagel, R. Zahn, H. Kopp, W. Clas, R. Brennecke, P. Schweizer, J. Meyer S. B. Feinstein Division of Cardiology, Box 44, University of Chicago, 950 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA D. G. Gibson Department of Cardiology, Brompton Hospital, Fulham Road, London SW3 6HP, UK Co-author: R. B. Logan Sinclair E.

Echocardiography has recently become one of' the most important techniques in clinical cardiology. The major advantage of this method is its noninvasive nature enabling us to apply it under a widespread variety of clinical conditions. In the late 1960s, when research and clinical application of echo cardiography were started, and during the first decade investigations were mainly focused on the morphology of the valves and the chambers of the heart. The introduction of two-dimensional echocardiography was a major breakthrough in visualizing different portions of the heart. How ever, the poor resolution of the first devices provided only little qualitative information. With the introduction of phased array 2-D-echo-devices yielding better results and the application of computer techniques for the processing of M-mode and two-dimensional echo cardiograms, a great amount of qualitative information has become available to describe not only the morphology, but also the dynamic function of the heart in a noninvasive manner. This volume summarizes the lectures held at the International Symposium on Echocardiography, Hamburg, September 1978, endeavoring to review the current state of knowledge with regard to echo cardiography in the experimental and clinical setting. We herewith thank all lecturers, who have contributed to the publication and the Pharma-Schwarz Company which enabled us to organize this meeting by a generous subsidy."

For the fourth English edition, this highly popular book has been thoroughly revised and updated to include such new sections as endoscopic digestive US and abnormalities related to AIDS. It is the only work available covering the diagnostic US of the whole abdomen, and its superb treatment of elementary symptoms enables beginners to become familiar with more complicated features. After an extensive technical introduction, the book covers the sonoanatomy and ultrasonic symptomatology of the diseases of the digestive system and the abdominal vessels. Numerous tips on avoiding pitfalls, as well as indications for other procedures, and backed by some 1000 illustrations, this is well on its way to becoming a standard text for practitioners and clinicians in the field.