MUSoc celebrates its 25th year in India

A four-day conference was held recently with hands-on workshops to impart instant training to radiologists on how to perform musculoskeletal ultrasound

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Society (MSUS) organised its 25th edition of MUSoc Conference at Taj Vivanta, Dwarka in New Delhi from 8-11 October, 2015. The international conference marked 25 years of MUSoc, a conference that has been held in different parts of the world for the past 25 years and marks teaching of the technique of performing musculoskeletal ultrasound

Musculoskeletal ultrasound, or the ultrasound of bones, muscles and joints, while a popular technique used as an alternative to CT and MRI across the world, is still in the nascent stage of development in India. Explaining the importance of musculoskeletal ultrasound for the country, MUSoc Organiser in India, Dr Nidhi Bhatnagar said, “MSK USG technique is still very new to the country with only a handful of radiologists knowing how to perform this technique. MUSoc coming to India is quite a turning point in this situation. We have had more than 400+ radiologists coming here, not just from across the country but from across the globe to get a hands-on experience on how to perform this technique.”

Talking about the response that was received at the conference, founding member of MUSoc, Michael A Dipietro, a renowned paediatric radiologist from the University of Michigan said, “We are quite overwhelmed by the response that we have got from India, both in terms of the number of participants as well as the enthusiasm that they have shown towards learning this technique. I am sure this conference has given them a great opportunity as a starting point to learn and use this new technique.”

At the event, Dr Bipin Batra, Director, National Board of Examinations was the Guest of Honour. Talking about bringing MSK USG to the Indian curriculum, he said, “The development of MSK USG is a technical advancement that has taken place in the past 15 years. Having said that, the applications of MSK USG have now grown so much that it can be transformed into a sub-speciality within the ambit of radiology. It’s important to promote this technical advancement, and MUSoc has given a good starting point. We had the world’s most renowned in the field of radiology, both teaching and learning this technique. As National Board of Examinations, we are working closely with these international experts as well as Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Academy to develop training guidelines, curriculum and accreditation to be able to announce this as a formal program in the year 2016.”