Becoming a musculoskeletal ultrasonographer

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 conducting of MSUS courses and it would be useful to standardize rheumatology MSUS training worldwide. A thorough knowledge of sectional anatomy, ultrasound physics and technology, joint US scanning methods, the sonographic pattern of normal and pathological musculoskeletal tissues, artefacts, diagnostic criteria and Doppler technique are necessary to perform efficient MSUS. MSUS training includes attending theoretical and practical courses, as well as studying textbooks, DVDs or websites. Having access to US equipment and performing supervised normal and pathological MSUS examinations for a training period is mandatory for consolidating MSUS learning. A proposal to accredit and certificate competence in MSUS is now being discussed.

Keywords: competency, education, musculoskeletal ultrasonography, training