Ultrasound in Rheumatology: Fundamental background and clinical applications

__Abstract__ Ultrasonography is an imaging modality that is used increasingly in daily practice for the investigation and management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This introduction provides an overview on the rationale for using US in RA by discussing relevant events and developments in the history of RA. This is followed by a short section on the history of medical US. Subsequently, the section on the technique of US will describe relevant concepts of US for this thesis. This general introduction closes with the outline of the thesis and the aims