Brief history parallel to the enthusiasm showed by rheumatologists at the American College of Rheumatology meeting for the musculoskeletal ultrasound

Abstract

Musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSU), a successful procedure widely used by European rheumatologists for years, was received with enormous enthusiasm by North American attendees at the recent American College of Rheumatology meeting held in Philadelphia. Primarily, this expectation was because musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSU) provides multiple beneWts in the diagnosis and interventions in rheumatology. This “tool” also promises a future in the follow-up and monitoring of patients with modern biological drugs; it has shown more accuracy in detecting disease activity in arthritic patients rather than clinical and serologic parameters [1–3]. At this meeting, some rheumatologists were mentioned that have been contributors to the increasing interest about MSU in the United States and who have responded also to the increased academic training demand in recent years. However, a very important and integral historic passage was omitted, which should be refreshing to new generations of rheumatologists. One decade ago, Dr. Antonio J. Reginato, originally from Chile, a brilliant rheumatologist and researcher, who was also closely linked with the studies of crystalline arthropathies, travelled to Switzerland, in April of 2000 to attend a EULAR Musculoskeletal Ultrasound training course. He had the same appreciation and enthusiasm that the European rheumatologists had for musculoskeletal ultrasound. Upon his return to New Jersey, he procured a GE LOGIQ 200 Pro Series machine (Fig. 1) while working at Cooper University Hospital and started clinical-based MSU. At the same time, he enthusiastically organized a wonderful workshop entitled: Cutting edge diagnostic techniques and invasive rheumatology for the millennium (Fig. 2), named after his mentor, Dr. Joseph Lee Hollander. This three-day course included three cores: diagnostic and surgical arthroscopy, intra-articular and peri-articular inWltrations and the minor surgical procedures, and an introductory workshop of musculoskeletal ultrasound. The ultrasound core was taught by experienced rheumatologists from Italy and Spain: Dr. Walter Grassi, Dr. Esperanza Naredo and Dr. Jacquelin Uson, and also Dr. Antonio BouVard, a senior musculoskeletal radiologist from Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, and expert in musculoskeletal ultrasound. The Hollander Workshop was the Wrst of its kind in the United States about MSU that involved international rheumatologists, and the course was attended by rheumatologists from the United States, Central, South and Latin America, as well as other parts of the world. Although, it did not receive any support from the American College of Rheumatology, there were 155 total attendees that participated in the three cores. Compared to recent workshops today accomplishing the rheumatologist dream’s [4, 5] this attendance seems minimal, but it was the beginning of ultrasound training for rheumatologist in United States. Dr. Reginato planned the next Cooper course of musculoskeletal ultrasound in 2003 with his then new Attending, Dr. Ralf Thiele and assistant, Debra Donato, for May 7–9, 2004. Unfortunately, he had been suVering from ALS and had an untimely death May 4, 2004. After his death, his assistant, named the January, 2005 course, “The Antonio J. Reginato—Musculoskeletal Ultrasound for Rheumatologists” as a tribute to him. This was followed by nine consecutive non-CME courses, successfully organized by A. Checa (&) Division of Rheumatology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 219 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA e-mail: checaag@comcast.net