Future and new developments in musculoskeletal ultrasound

Improvements in high-resolution gray-scale imaging and clinical expertise performing musculoskeletal ultrasound will undoubtedly continue. Development of digital beam formers, two-dimensional arrays along with exploitation of nonlinear techniques to achieve higher resolution and use of ultrasound contrast to improve flow sensitivity will all contribute to the utility of ultrasound in the musculoskeletal system. It behooves the radiologic community to become familiar with these techniques, not only for economic reasons, but also because of the rich complement of future applications of this modality. The few potential applications mentioned here may only scratch the surface of what is possible. In addition to improved images of tissue morphology, ultrasound may play a role in functional and quantitative assessment of soft tissues. It may likewise play a role in the evaluation of prosthetic implants, bone mineralization, and cartilage integrity. Thus, the role of this modality in future musculoskeletal applications may significantly impact clinical diagnosis and therapy.