When the first edition of this manual was published in 1995, it quickly established itself as a reference work. In the intervening period, the rapid developments that have occurred in both ultrasound equipment and investigative techniques, including use of ultrasonography in the therapeutic domain, have necessitated publication of a totally new edition of this manual.

The present manual, a basic reference text that covers ultrasound techniques, recognition of normal anatomical features and differential diagnosis, is the first of two volumes of the second edition. Volume 2 covers pediatric examinations, gynecology and musculoskeletal examinations, as well as therapy.

These new publications, which extensively cover modern diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasonography, will be of great use to medical professionals in both developed and developing countries.

Volume 1 begins with a chapter on the basic physics of ultrasound, including one dimensional A-, B-, and M-mode, B-mode two-dimensional, three-, four-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound. This is followed by a chapter on examination techniques. The subsequent fourteen chapters deal in turn with the diagnostic ultrasonography of each of the main organs of the body. The authors of the individual chapters are internationally recognized experts in their fields, while the book’s editors are Professor Harald T. Lutz and Professor Elisabetta Buscarini.

The book is co-published by WHO and the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. It is also available as a Two Volume Set.