Foreword from the First Edition

My own desire to become a radiologist took shape during my time as a medical student years ago, when I first began reading some of the basic texts in radiology. My decision to specialize in bone imaging occurred during my radiology residency, once again based in part on reading some of the classic texts in musculoskeletal radiology. So I know firsthand the importance of books to many medical students and radiology residents as they try to find the specialty or subspecialty that is right for them. Because of this, I am excited to write a foreword for a book that, I believe, will fill a void in the literature and is long overdue. Jamshid (Jim) Tehranzadeh has edited a masterpiece, Basic Musculoskeletal Imaging, that is filled with useful information, pearls, and pitfalls and is ideally suited to medical students and residents in many different fields who want to learn more about this subspecialty. He and his contributors are to be congratulated for recognizing the need for such a publication and for filling this void.

All the necessary information is here. Chapters are written by both internationally recognized experts in the field and young enthusiastic "bone-lovers," and these chapters cover a wide range of subjects. The reader can find material dealing with the axial and appendicular skeleton and the ways in which it reacts to trauma, tumor, ischemia, infection, surgical intervention, and other processes. This skeletal reaction is displayed vividly with a variety of imaging techniques that include conventional radiography, CT scanning, ultrasonography, and MR imaging. Indeed, separate chapters summarize the role of MR imaging in the assessment of disorders of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and spine. Each chapter is focused and concise, emphasizing information that is critical to accurate diagnosis, containing pearls of wisdom and employing highly appropriate illustrations. In addition, the material is easy to read and to digest, with "take-home" messages in every chapter. This is a book that is stimulating as well as informative, and it is one that, once opened, will be hard to put down.

I want to personally congratulate Jim and the contributors for taking on this task. They and the publisher correctly saw the need for a text dedicated to medical students and residents (in radiology, orthopedic surgery, and other fields) that would serve as an easy-to-read source for information related to musculoskeletal imaging. As an author myself, I fully recognize that considerable thought and effort went into this project to ensure that the book contained information that is highly organized and essential to such imaging. Yes, a void has been filled with the publication of this work. Now, as was the case early in my medical education, there exists a text that will stimulate many medical students and residents and, for some, may prove influential in the choice of a specific career. A job well done and one for which I am indeed honored to write this foreword.