Abstract
For ultrasound readers, who see omens for the future in certain numbers, 2013 will be a year of mixed messages, as it is also the year in which the journal reaches Volume 21. I do not believe in lucky numbers, but as the new Editor-in-Chief, I have a strong interest in the future of the journal. This February issue marks the beginning of my two-year term of office and I begin by expressing my thanks to the outgoing editor, Hazel Edwards for her endless hard work and commitment to the journal over the last two years. Following in the footsteps of someone who has done such an outstanding job is always rather daunting, but I am assured of her continued support. In fact Hazel will continue her involvement with the journal by taking over the job of writing the Echoes page from Mike Weston. Diane De Friend also leaves the Editorial Team, to be replaced by Stephen Wolstenhulme as a deputy editor. Jacinta Browne remains as a deputy editor and John Hossack as International Editor.
In addition to the changes in the Editorial Team, you may have noticed that the journal is no longer published by the Royal Society of Medicine Press. In November last year, the 28 titles published by RSM Press were sold to SAGE Publications. SAGE is a well-established, independent international publisher of academic journals, with a portfolio of over 650 titles and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with them. Although the SAGE editorial production team now produce Ultrasound, there will be little change to the journal cover and format.
Volume 21 seems like a significant milestone in the journey of Ultrasound from its humble beginnings as a slim black and white publication. Originally conceived as the BMUS Bulletin, a society journal, containing news, committee reports and scientific and educational articles, it has now been refined into a more academic publication. However, one of its prime aims must still be to educate and inform the BMUS membership. As the new Editor, I would very much like to see the journal achieve this aim over the next two years, but I need your help to do it. The main readership of Ultrasound is the BMUS membership and I would like to encourage the readers to become writers and contribute to the education of others in the Society. The editorial team will be delighted to hear from you if you have an idea for an article that you would like to discuss informally first and will be pleased to help and support you in getting it into print.
I hope you enjoy reading this first issue of Volume 21. It contains three papers concerned with accuracy in ultrasound diagnosis. The first, from Sensier et al. assesses the impact of new guidance on the measurement of abdominal aortic aneurysms, comparing measurements made from the inner walls of the aorta (new NAAASP guidance) to those from the outer walls (traditional technique). Wolstenhulme et al. compare the accuracy of colour Doppler ultrasound to contrast-enhanced computed tomography in detecting endoleaks during post EVAR surveillance and Cummings and Edwards compare the accuracy of radiologists and sonographers in ultrasound diagnosis of inguinal hernia. The article by Yang et al. describes a new method for estimating wall shear rate in arteries from images of the Doppler sonogram - one for the physicists I think.
Three case studies report on ultrasound diagnosis of chorioangioma and hyperplastic primary vitreous, and image-guided treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome caused by synovial cyst. In addition, in response to an earlier study by Gibbs and Edwards on sonographers unaffected by work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Nigel Thompson and Lyn Wigley from the Society and College of Radiographers, write to the Editor on the use of specialized equipment designed to reduce the incidence of such problems. The authors of the article respond, but I suspect this one could run on for a while yet.
And finally, I can announce that the winner of the 2012 best paper written by a student competition was won by Michelle Bonfield of University Hospitals of Bristol for her paper entitled ‘Effect of patient positioning on the duration of venous reflux in duplex ultrasound for venous insufficiency’. You can read the article in the May 2012 issue of ultrasound.