Atlas of Ultrasonography. 2nd Edition

In comparison to other forms of diagnostic imaging, ultrasound is, in general, quicker, cheaper, and safer. The lack of radiation allows routine use during pregnancy. In comparing this new edition of Taylor's Atlas of Ultrasonography with the former edition, entitled Atlas of Gray Scale Ultrasonography, we see how much the field has expanded since 1978. "Ultrasound" formerly meant "A-mode," a single-line plot of echo intensity versus time, or "B-mode," a two-dimensional set of dots on a screen. Improvements in technology, however, have led to "gray-scale" and "real-time" imaging, which, as we might imagine, displays a gray-scale image of echo intensity while the scanner is being used. This allows the sonographer to change the view of the fetus, for example, in order to visualize different structures. A new technology, termed Doppler shift ultrasound, allows measurement of blood flow velocity and turbulence. This technique promises to be of particular importance in diagnosing vascular diseases. The new edition is greatly expanded, about two-and-one-half times the size of the first, and has grown into two volumes. The majority of the images are new and are reproduced with excellent quality; the type of the new edition is larger and easier to read. The atlas is organized into twenty chapters (expanded from fourteen) covering individual organs and systems. Volume 1 is devoted essentially to Obstetrics and Gynecology with additional chapters on the breast, the neonatal head, and the liver. Volume 2 covers the other major organs imaged by ultrasound. It should be noted that echocardiography is not covered by this atlas, and there are no images of the heart, although there is a chapter on the vascular system. Each of the chapters is composed of a collection of case reports accompanied by ultrasound images illustrating the use of ultrasound in diagnosing pathology. Some sections contain sonograms of normal anatomy. In particular, there are 77 images of normal fetal anatomy (4.1 to 4.8), including a fetal echocardiogram (4.4C). There is a section on dating pregnancies (4.9). The chapters on gynecology and obstetrics are especially comprehensive, with line drawings to complement the images. An interesting application of Doppler mode is presented in the chapter on the breast, in which malignant masses are associated with neovascularization (5.22) and abnormal flow patterns (5.23). The chapters on the neonatal head and the liver contain comparisons with CT scans. The chapter on the vascular systems deals mainly with diagnosis of carotid artery …