The rapidly increasing demand for diagnostic ultrasound in medicine has created a need for material to train technicians and physicians in the performance, usefulness, and limitations of this modality. From the simplest to the most complex problem we need well-laid-out approaches to the application of ultrasound to medical problems.
This manual is an assembly of basic diagnostic ultrasound principles and methods of clinical applications. It serves as an introduction t o the field of ultrasound and is written so that the layman or beginning technician can benefit from it. Physicians could use this book to "sell" the merits of ultrasound to administrators, hospital boards, or interested non-medical groups.
The material is divided into six chapters including a basic introduction, the head, the fetus, masses, blood vessels, and the heart. Each section presents the various methods that can be used including A-Mode, B-Mode, and Doppler. There is a self assessment quiz at the end.
The pictorial presentations are plentiful, accurate, and easy t o understand, even for those with only a minimal amount of knowledge of human anatomy.
The proportion of B-Mode ultrasound presented suffers somewhat due t o the excess amount of A-Mode presentation. This disproportion does not reflect the relative use of the two types of scans in everyday practice.
The very basic nature of this manual limits its usefulness. For the neophyte it does its job well. It should not be considered a shelf reference by those who are beyond the basic or introductory phase of learning.