Anniversary Issue

I have been asked to write a Preface for the 30th-Anniversary Issue of the prestigious journal, “Seminars in Musculoskeletal Radiology,” and I do so with great enthusiasm and a little bit of pride. Founded over 25 years ago, this journal has consistently offered the essential information required by musculoskeletal imagers to remain effective, informed, and up to date. The anniversary issue is an attempt to emphasize how our specialty has changed or evolved over the last few decades, and, indeed, it has! The journal has selected wisely the guest editors responsible for this anniversary issue. Drs. Michael Recht and Marco Zanetti are international leaders in the field of musculoskeletal imaging. Both have expertise in all methods of imaging and the experience to sort out what is important from what is not. In turn, they have carefully enlisted the assistance of the top people in the field to present a series of articles that touch upon almost every aspect of our specialty, with concise text, informative illustrations, and pertinent references. Among the topics that are included are new MRI techniques, MR neurography, musculoskeletal intervention, CT scanning, and artificial intelligence. Further, meaningful material is presented describing specific clinical situations that might lead to diagnostic dilemmas such as femoroacetabular impingement, internal derangements of the wrist, and soft tissue lesions of the midfoot and forefoot. I have known both editors, Drs. Recht and Zanetti, for many years, interacting with them at national and international meetings, exchanging thoughts and opinions. In a way, we have both learned from and taught each other over this time. In fact, for one of them, I served as the Director of his Fellowship here at UCSD. I could not be happier that they were chosen to edit this important issue. Indeed, it is a privilege to write this Preface. Finally, let me offer my own short overview of the ever-changing scope of musculoskeletal imaging as I have been in this “business” for so many years. As the son of a radiologist in a tiny office in a small building on a quiet street of a New York suburb, I can clearly remember my father's dedication to his craft, involving both diagnostic radiology and radiation therapy, serving first as the X-ray technician, then developing the images in special chemical solutions, and finally hanging the resulting radiograph on a single view box, resulting in a typed diagnostic report that was delivered by me to each physician at the end of the day. Unfortunately, owing to health issues, he did not witness firsthand how our specialty has changed through the six decades since his passing. If with me today, he would not recognize what has changed our profession: digital radiography, CT scanning, MRI, ultrasonography, PET, PET-CT, PET-MRI, radiology information systems, picture archiving and communication systems, molecular imaging, and artificial intelligence, among other things. Although all of this would be new and confusing to him, I am certain he would appreciate how far we have come and wonder what the future will bring. As we move forward, each advance will bring challenges that will test us and make us strong. Publication History Article published online: 20 July 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA