The definite treatment ofaortic disorders goes back to the resection ofisthmic coarctation by Clarence Crafoord in 1944. It took another third of a century until all portionsofthe aortabecameaccessible to highly standardized surgery. This progress, delayed as it was in relation to most other cardiovascular in- terventions, depended on the availability of safe protective methods for the heart and central nervous system, of reliable vascular grafts and atraumatic instruments, novel suture material and tissue adhesives. The development ofadvanced surgical techniques went hand in hand with, and depended upon, the emergence of proper diagnostic tools, starting with aortography andultimately culminating inCT-scanning, transesophageal echo- cardiography and magnetic resonance imaging. These tools now allow for the rational planning and conductofany aortic intervention which may be surgical or, more recently, catheter-guided. Nienaber's and Fattori's new book aptly is addressing both the diagnos- tic procedure as well as the treatment of aortic disease. The authors are well known experts in the fields of advanced diagnostics of aortic pathology, both spearheading a remarkably innovative group of aortic interventionalists as well. On account of their expertise, their chapters are able to answer any question rising in conjunction with these subjects.

I am extremely honored and pleased to have the opportunity to write a few introductory words for this timely volume on Na + /It exchange. This is a field of investigation that I entered into by challenge and necessity, embraced with passion and fmally left in my quest for new discoveries in growth control. Ten years, one third of my scientific life, has been devoted to uncovering the mysteries of intracellular pH (PH;) regulation with respect to growth factor action. I got started on this new topic in 1980, when I heard a rather provocative hypothesis presented by Enrique Rozengurt at an ICN-UCLA Keystone meeting on "Cell Surface and Malignancy." He showed that all mitogens induced amiloride-sensitive Na + entry into resting cells and proposed that, if a compound stimulates Na + influx, it could be a mitogen. In support of his proposal Enrique reported that the amphipathic polypeptide, mellitin, which induced Na+ influx, was indeed mitogenic for 3T3 cells. This was only correlation at this stage. However, I was fascinated by this talk. I immediately approached Enrique to inform him of my skepticism about this beautiful story, and to indicate that I would only be convinced when I succeeded in isolating mutant fibroblasts lacking the amiloride-sensitive Na+ transporter. ''Good luck " was his response.

The second volume of Operative Manual of Endoscopic Surgery covers some of the operative endoscopic procedures which have been introduced into clinical practice since the publication of VoI. 1. In the general section, we have included an updated chapter on instrumentation and new chapters on anaesthetic manage ment of patients undergoing endoscopic surgery and on video image and record ing. Both topics are of importance to the practice of endoscopic surgery and have not been adequately covered in the reported literature. Volume 2 deals with endoscopic procedures)nthechest and abdomen. There have been significant advances in thoracoscopic surgery duririg the past 2 years; particular reference rs made to anatomical pulmonary resections and oesophageal resections. As far as the gastrointestinal trad is concerned, we have included gastric and allied operations but have not covered the colorectal region as we believe that more evaluation is needed before definitive accounts can be written on endoscopic colorectal resections, especially for cancer. For this reason, we have decided to defer this important topic to VoI. 3, which is in preparation. The same applies to laparoscopic repair of abdominal hernias. The same layout has been adopted as in VoI. 1 of the series, with heavy em phasis on illustrative representation of the operative steps and techniques. In the diagrams on sites of trocar/cannulae, we have indicated not only the site and size but also the functional role of each port.

In recent years much enthusiasm and energy has been directed toward the development of human gene therapies, especially for inherited conditions and cancers. However, current gene transfer technology is limited in its transduction efficiency and ability to permanently and safely correct genomic defects. Thus the promise of gene therapy for these conditions is as yet unrealized. The progression of gene transfer technology will eventually surmount these limitations. Gene Therapy for Acute and Acquired Diseases includes selected examples of ongoing studies in molecular genetics that have the potential to evolve into human therapies for acute illnesses. These chapters are intended to highlight lesser known applications of gene therapy for acquired disorders. It is expected that human gene therapy trials for these conditions will be forthcoming in the near future, leading to previously unimaginable therapies. Thus, this first-ever book about gene therapy for acute and acquired diseases is intended to serve as a glimpse into the future.

Restenosis, the proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMC) that line blood vessels, often follows angioplasty. Despite advances in cardiology, restenosis continues to affect up to 40% of the over 500,000 patients who undergo angioplasty each year. Applications of Antisense Therapies to Restenosis is the first volume to address the potential of using antisense therapies to inhibit the restenosis that occurs after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and coronary stenting. The work critically examines the application of various antisense therapies for inhibiting restenosis.

Apart from the articles on history and nursing, the con- ditions discussed include Mediastinal Masses in childhood seen from a Pathologist's point of view, Intrapulmonary se- questration, lymphangiomata involving the neck as well as thorax, unusual forms of Diaphragmatic Hernia and Congenital Heart Disease. Such a volume would hardly be complete with- out some references to Oesophageal Atresia and one article discusses The Influence Of Anatomy And Physiology On The Ma- nagement Of Oesophageal Atresia.

Thisisthefirstvolumeinthe CerelJral Cortexseriesdevotedtomathematicalmodels ofthecortex. Itwasmotivatedbytherealizationthatcomputationalmodelsof individualneuronsandensemblesofneuronsareincreasinglyusedinresearchon corticalorganizationandfunction. Thisis,inpart,becauseofthenowubiquitous presenceofpowerfulandaffordablecomputers. Suitablemachineswereformerly rareinresearchlaboratoriesandrequiredsubstantialprogrammingexpertisetobe usedinconstructingandusingneuronalmodels. However,computersarenow routinelyusedinallareasofneurobiologyandanumberofsoftwarepackagesallow scientistswithminimalcomputerscienceandmathematicalbackgroundstocon- structseriousneuronalmodels. Asecondfactorleadingtotheproliferationof modelingstudiesisthedevelopmentoftechnologiesthatallowthekindsofdata collectionneededtodeveloprealisticmodelsofcorticalneurons. Characterization ofthekineticsofvoltage-andligand-gatedchannelsandreceptorshadbeenlim- itedtorelativelylargeneurons. However,therapiddevelopmentofsliceprepara- tions,patch-clampmethods,andimagingmethodsbasedonvoltage-sensitivedyes andintracellularcalciumindicatorshasresultedinasignificantdatabaseonthe biophysicalfeaturesofcorticalneurons. Thescopeofmodelingapproachestocorticalneuronsandfunctionsiswide anditseemednecessarytolimitthepurviewofthevolume. Thefocusisonattempts tounderstandthepropertiesofindividualcorticalneuronsandneuronalcircuitry throughmodelsthatincorporatesignificantfeaturesofcellularmorphologyand physiology. Noattemptwasmadetoincludemodelingapproachestounderstanding corticaldevelopmentandplasticity. Thus,workdealingwiththedevelopmentof oculardominancecolumnsandtheorientationselectivityofneuronsinvisualcortex isnotconsidered. Similarly,modelsdealingwiththecellularmechanismsunderlying long-termplasticityandwithapproachestolearningandmemorybasedonmodifica- tionofHebbiansynapsesarenotconsidered. Relativelyabstractattemptstounder- standhigherlevelandcognitiveprocessesbasedonneuralnetsrepresentasecond, majorareaofworkthatisnottreated. Modelsofcognitiveprocessesbasedon dynamicalsystemsmethodsinwhichnoattemptismadetoincludethebiophysical featuresofindividualneuronsarealsonotconsidered. vii viii Thetenmajorchaptersfallintothreegroups. Thefirstgroupdealswith compartmentalmodelsofindividualcorticalneurons. LyleBorg-Grahamprovides PREFACE anintroductiontothemethodsinvolvedinconstructingcompartmentalmodels andthenreviewstheexistingmodelsofhippocampalpyramidalcells. Becauseof theeffectivenessofhippocampalslicepreparations,theseneuronshavewell-ehar- acterizedbiophysicalproperties. Thischapterillustrateshowcompartmentalmod- elscanbeusedtosynthesizeexperimentaldataandprovideanintegrativeviewof thepropertiesofindividualneurons. PaulRhodescontinuesthethemebyfocusing ontheroleofvoltage-gatedchannelslocatedonthedendritesofcorticalneurons. Thisisanareainwhichtechnologicaladvancesinthevisualizationofneuronsin slicepreparationsbasedoninfraredmicroscopyhavegreatlyexpandedtheinfor- mationavailableondendriticfunctioninjustafewyears. Thechapterbothreviews theexperimentaldataonactivedendriticconductancesandemphasizestheirpo- tentialfunctionalroles. Thesecondgroupofchaptersdealwiththegenerationofreceptivefield propertiesofneuronswithinvisualcortex. Theyaddressissuesstemmingfromthe originalattempttounderstandhowthereceptivefieldpropertiesofneuronsincat andmonkeyprimaryvisualcortexaregeneratedbyinteractionsbetweengenicu- lateafferentsandcorticalneurons. ThechapterbyFlorentinWorgotterevaluates modelsthathavebeenusedtoanalyzethegenerationofreceptivefieldproperties. RodneyDouglasandhiscolleaguesaddressaspecificsetofissuesdealingwiththe roleofintracorticalexcitationmediatedbypyramidalcellcollaterals. Animportant featureofthischapterisitsrelationtoattempttoconstructfabricatedcircuitsthat duplicatethefunctionsofcorticalcircuits. ThechapterbyPhilipUlinskifocuseson thegenerationofmotion-selectivepropertiesincorticalneurons. Itseekstoidenti- tycellularmechanismsusedbyneuronsthatrespondpreferentiallytovisualstimuli movingwithparticularspeedsordirections. MatteoCarandiniandhiscolleagues discussthefeatureofcorticalneurons,knownasgaincontrol,thatallowsneurons torespondeffectivelytovisualstimulibypoolinginformationacrosspopulationsof corticalneurons. ThechapterbyHughWilsondealswiththereceptivefieldproper- tiesofextrastriateareasandintroducesnewworkanalyzingface-selectiveneurons. Thefinalsetofchaptersconsidermodelsofensemblesofthalamicandcortical neurons. ThechapterbyWilliamLyttonandElizabethThomasusesthetheoryof dynamicalsystemstoanalyzethetemporalrelationshipsbetweenthalamicand corticalneurons. Animportantfeatureoftheinteractionbetweenthalamusand cortexisthepresenceofoscillationsthatdependinpartuponthevoltage-gated conductancespresentonindividualneuronsandinpartonthestructureofthe overallnetwork. PaulBushcontinuesthisemphasisonoscillationsbydiscussinga modelthatdealswiththegenerationofsynchronizedoscillationsinvisualcortex. Oscillationsofthiskindhaveattractedsubstantialattentioninrecentyearsbecause oftheirpotentialroleincognitiveprocesses. Thelastchapter,byMichaelHasselmo andChristianeLinster,reviewstheirworkonmodelingpiriformcortex,emphasiz- ingtheroleofcholinergicmechanismsinmodulatingtheactivityofcorticalneu- rons. Anattempthasbeenmadethroughouttomakethevolumeaccessibleto readerswithminimalmathematicalbackgrounds. Thevolumethusbeginswitha shorthistoryofmodelsofcorticalneuronsandcircuitrythatintroducestheprinci- palmodelingstyles. ThechaptersbyWorgotterandUlinskicontainmoreextensive ix introductionstosomeofthemodelingmethodsthathavebeenusedtostudyvisual cortex,andthemathematicallychallengedreaderwillfindthatthechapterby PREFACE LyttonandThomascontainsareadableintroductiontotheuseofdynamical systemstheoryinneurobiology. PhilipS. Ulinski EdwardG. Jones Chicago and Davis Contents Chapter 1 ModelingCorticalCircuitry:AHistoryandProspectus PhilipS. Ulinski 1. Introduction "...1 2. LorentedeNothroughDynamicalSystemsModels...2 2. 1. LorentedeNo...2 2. 2. CellAssembliesandNeuralNets...3 2. 3. DynamicSystemsModels...8 3. HodgkinandHuxleythroughNetworkModels...11 3. 1. HodgkinandHuxley...11 3. 2. WilfridRall...11 3. 3. SoftwarePackages...13 3. 4. RealisticModelsofCorticalNetworks...14 4. Prospectus...14 5. References...15 Chapter 2 InterpretationsofDataandMechanismsforHippocampalPyramidal CellModels LyleJ Borg-Graham 1. Introduction...19 1. 1. NeuronModelEvolution-followingElectrophysiology...19 1. 2. NeuronModelEvaluation-followingtheParameters...21 1. 3. WhyHippocampus? 21 1. 4. OrganizationofThisChapter...22 xi xii 2. TheDatabaseforSingle-NeuronModels...23 2. 1. VoltageClampversusCurrentClamp...23 CONTENTS 2. 2. Single-ChannelversusMacroscopicCurrents...24 2. 3. TypeofPreparation...24 2. 4. KineticandPharmacologicalDissection...25 2. 5. TemperatureDependence...26 2. 6. AgeDependence...27 2. 7. HippocampalSubfieldDependence...27 2. 8. DifferencesinFiringPropertiesbetweenSharpversusPatch Recordings...28 2. 9. TheMeasuredVoltage...

The papers presented at the Fifth International Symposium on Heart Valves and published in this volume discuss clinical experience with heart valve replacement in pediatric patients, in adults (age 65 and younger), and in the elderly (age 66 and older). Special considerations in heart valve replacement, such as valve selection, reoperation, results of double valve implantation, quality of life, and the use of valved conduits are also included. Finally, long term clinical follow-up with the ST. JUDE MEDICAL (R) heart valve, giving 7- and 8-year data is discussed. HEART VALVE REPLACEMENT IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS Anticoagulation Anticoagulation in children is a difficult and interesting problem. Three princi pal considerations in the use of anticoagulants are patient education, timing, and anticoagulating substance. Additional considerations are patient tolerance and compliance. Generally, the findings indicate, if pediatric patients receive anticoagulation following mechanical valve replacement, it is well accepted and results in few complications. If children are not anticoagulated, complications arise. Conflicting results regarding the efficacy of PERSANTINE (R) and the use of aspirin vs. COUMADIN (R) were reported. Doctor Sade's data address some of these questions. * After a 5-year study in * See J Thorac Cardiovasc Surgery 1988; 95:533-561.

The incidence of concomitant disease in patients referred for cardiac surgery has increased substantially throughout the years. Years ago a significant proportion of patients due for cardiac surgery would not have been operated on, as the risk of concomitant disease were estimated as being too high. Over the years techniques in cardiac surgery, anaesthesiology and intensive care treatment have improved, thus, enabling us to operate on and to treat more severely ill patients and those with extraneous complications. Cardiac Surgery and Concomitant Disease presents the current knowledge in dealing with high risk patients scheduled for cardiac surgery.

All diseases involving the lung are presented in alphabetical order. Each is discussed in the same way under the subheadings of definition, epidemiology, pathophysio- logy, clinical prognosis, radiology, gross and micro patho- logy, histomorphological descriptors, special stains, hall- mark of diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
"An encyclopedic collection of terms dealing with diseases and/or pathological conditions of the respiratory organs with the aim to give the reader rapid information about the essential aspects. This encyclopedic source can be recommended not only to pathologists but also to clinicians and practitioners faced with pulmonary diseases." (Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology)

This book consists of an edited report of the proceedings of the Fifth Cardiac Surgical Course run by the Royal Post-Graduate Medical School, The Institute of Cardiology, The Institute of Diseases of the Chest, The Institute of Child Health, The National Heart Hospital, The Brompton Hospital, The Hammersmith Hospital and Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. These organisations encompass most of the major London hospitals associated with cardiac surgery. The course has been run annually, its aim being to help young men and women who are training in the specialised field of cardiac surgery. Thus this book consists of the proceedings of a teaching course rather than of a symposium, the 60 authors having been charged with the task of teaching rather than displaying their results or discussing their latest ideas and the proceedings reflect an interesting appraisal of the current status of cardiac surgery. The speakers were chosen from all over the world, because they were leaders in their field or because they have access to up to date and reliable information, and I am grateful to all the lecturers for their cooperation in the production of this volume. Ten thousand surgical cases are reported. These figures are drawn from experience in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. The reader may be surprised to find that only a handful of experiments are described.

In July 2008, European and Japanese specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, interventional neuroradiology and neurointensive care joined together to discuss the latest developments in the management of cerebrovascular disorders at the 4th European Japanese Joint Conference on Stroke Surgery, held in Helsinki, Finland. This collection of papers from the meeting deal with aneurysm surgery and management of subarachnoid hemorrhage and stroke, arterial dissection, intracranial arteriovenous malformations and fistulas, and microneurosurgical bypass and revascularization techniques.

Over 10 years have passed since the first edition of The Mediastinum was published in 1977. I have been very gratified by the response to the first edition and determined to do a second edition as soon as possible. However, good intentions are sometimes difficult to achieve and a decade has passed. This period has been one of enormous growth in the discipline of diagnostic imaging. In the study of the mediastinum, computed tomog raphy, and more recently magnetic resonance, have revolutionized our diagnostic capabilities. This second edition of the mediastinum is in tended to emphasize the importance of these modalities to the evalua tion of mediastinal disease. In addition, an attempt will be made to integrate into the text the many new and important observations relat ing to all aspects of mediastinal imaging which have appeared in the literature since 1977. The overall emphasis, however, will remain the same: that accurate radiologic diagnosis is based upon a thorough understanding of corre lated radiographic anatomy and pathology. No matter what the imag ing modality, this principle remains fundamental to each and every radiographic interpretation. I would like to express once again my deep appreciation to Dr. Stephen A. Kieffer, Chairman of the Department of Radiology at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse for his continued support and encouragement."

Modern Cardiac Surgery is based on, but does not consist completely of, papers submitted at the annual course of cardiac surgery run by the combined Institutes and Post-Graduate Hospitals involved in cardiac surgery in London (1977). The subjects which have been chosen and included fulfil one of two criteria; either they are subjects which were not included in the previous book, The Current Status of Cardiac Surgery, or they cover subjects which needed to be updated. Because this is a teaching course and not a symposium, the emphasis has been on being informative rather than on presenting masses of results. The book has been prepared partly from manuscripts submitted by the authors and partly from annotated tapes of the proceedings of the meeting. Through out the editing and production of this book careful consideration has been given to the requirements of the readership. The book is aimed at all students of cardiac surgery and cardiology at all levels, and as much information as possible has been packed into it. Neverthe less, the editor wishes to thank the authors for the efforts they have made to be concise and clear in their presentation and for their tremendous co-opera tion in alterations which have been incorporated to make it a more readable treatise. This means that this is a book which is of value to nurses interested in cardiology in intensive care, to physiotherapists and students wishing to look up particular topics before their final examinations."

Among the greatest challenges in cardiovascular surgery today remain operations on aortic arch pathology, supraaortic vessels, and the protection of the brain from hypoxic or ischemic injury during these delicate operations. Since DeBakey's first successful repair of an aortic arch aneurysm in 1957, understanding of the aortic arch pathology, neuroprotective strategies, neuromonitoring and surgical technique have markedly improved. Although the specific surgical procedures have reached an advanced standard and general acceptance, many questions remain unanswered and have contributed to ongoing controversy.
Cerebral Protection in Cerebrovascular and Aortic Surgery presents the current knowledge of understanding causes and pathogenesis of cerebral damage during surgery on the aortic arch and supraaortic vessels and prevention of brain damage by specific surgical therapy.

A pioneering group of authors describes in this book, for the first time, the state of the art of spinal cord stimulation for chronic critical limb ischemia. This method, a progeny of pacemaking in cardiac rhythm disorders, is a promising, innovative procedure; it presents a modern challenge in treatment of endstage peripheral vascular disease or neuropathic pains. Spinal cord stimulation may have a tremendous future if it further develops to become a standard treatment in special indications.

Few diagnostic methods in Cardiology have heralded such revolutionary developments as the introduction of coronary arteriography. When, in the early 1960's, Dr. F. Mason Sones demonstrated that visualization of the coronary anatomy in living humans was not only feasible but sufficiently safe and reliable to be used as a clinical tool in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected ischemic heart disease, the thus far somewhat neglected area of coronary circulation became the focus of interest. Naturally, for a considerable period of time a great deal of emphasis was placed upon coronary anatomy. Simple relations between narrowing lesions, impediment to flow, and prognosis were assumed to exist. Spectacular results of surgical coronary revascularization seemed to confirm this concept. Gradually it has become evident that the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease is considerably more complex. Diagnostic methods were introduced to assess and quantify exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. At first, these tests were used mainly to achieve a more discriminative selection of candidates for coronary arteriography and the coronary arteriogram remained the gold standard. Currently, these techniques have evolved to the point where they provide valuable functional and metabolic information. They have become powerful independent tools in clinical investigations and evaluation of individual patients.

After decades of laboratory investigations mechanical circulatory support for the failing heart has entered the clinical arena. Today, a growing number of patients with progressive myocardial failure awaiting cardiac transplantation is successfully bridged to transplantation with ventricular assist devices. The proceedings of the "Mechanical Circulatory Support"-meeting, held in Berlin, October 21-22, 1995, present new aspects of mechanical circulatory support, recent experience with MCS in newborns and children using specially developed small devices, and the results of long-term mechanical assistance. The ability of the myocardium to recover under pressure de-loading and reduced workload is discussed. All these topics open up new perspectives for the use of mechanical circulatory support, not only as a bridge to transplantation, but also as a definitive approach for treating patients with end-stage heart failure. Some of these concepts may even provide real alternatives to heart transplantation, these being sorely needed in light of the severe donor organ shortage. Regulatory as well as ethical aspects of the extended use of mechanical circulatory support systems and new technical developments in the field are discussed by internationally distinguished experts.

Advances in heart surgical treatment have been impressive in the last 15 years. In end-stage heart disease, procedures are now performed routinely which were only experimental one or two decades ago. Heart transplantation has become a well-established procedure. According to the Gen eral Registry of the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation. 40,738 heart transplantations had been performed through the end of 1997 with survival rates of 78 % at one year, 65 % at five years, and 42 % at ten years. The progress in this field has been due to intense efforts in understanding and modulating immune responses to the trans planted heart, to elaborate therapeutic strategies to constrain infections, and to improved out-patient care. Accordingly, heart transplantation is integrated into the facilities of the health care systems, the routine of physicians, and the awareness of patients. The resulting increase in potential organ recipients has not been met, however, by an equivalent increase of available donor organs. This increasing discrepancy has forced the technical improvement and clinical evalua tion of mechanical circulatory support systems as an option for treatment of critically ill patients with a failing heart. Initially, these assist devices were only used to maintain sufficient circulation in post-cardiotomy heart failure until myocardial function had recov ered. Since the late 1980s, their primary use has been that of bridging patients with heart failure until a suitable organ is available so that heart transplantation can be performed."

In this book, the latest results in coronary artery surgery are discussed and the factors decisive for long-term prognosis are elucidated. The indications for re-operation are considered and redefined, and the surgical technique with regard to multiple bypass is described. The aim of the book is to depict clearly long-term prognoses and to determinate the future needs of coronary artery surgery in the next decade. This far-sighted approach also makes the book a valuable reference for the planning and extension of cardiology centers in Europe. 1

On the occasion of the inauguration of the Department of Heart Surgery at the Rehabilitation Center in Bad Krozingen, we held under the aus pices of the European Society of Cardiology an International Symposium on March 17 to 18, 1978 with the topic: . "Coronary Heart Surgery - a Rehabilitation Measure" This book contains the papers given at that time. The editors of this book, together with the other members of the sci entific committee - H. Denolin from Brussels, Ch. Hahn from Geneva, and F. Loogen from DUsseldorf - aimed at selecting controversial top ics as well as speakers representing different viewpoints. Thus avoid ing portrayal of an image of a world of coronary bypass surgery in which all problems have found a solution. In keeping with the topic of the meeting, special emphasis was drawn to the long-term functional results of aortocoronary bypass surgery; symptomatic imprQvement be ing, in most patients, significant enough and lasting for at least some years, thus allowing the patients to return to work. However, a combination of social, economic, and psychological factors may hamper optimal rehabilitation, as can be seen from some of the following papers. The incorporation of heart surgery into a rehabilitation center - being the motif of this symposium - may hopefully stimulate a global approach to cardiac rehabilitation which includes surgical, medical, psychological, vocational, and social rehabilitation mea sures. Bad Krozingen, January 1979 H. Roskamm M. Schmuziger Table of Contents 1."

Prior to the virtual atomic explosion of medical knowledge, at a time when communica tion was very much slower, a medical book, to be authoritative and believable, had to be written by a very knowledgable, and, per force, usually quite senior person. The choice of texts was limited and tended to be dominated by a few "classic" (a phrase not quite synonymous with dogma). Following the information explosion, the scenario is quite different. Not only is there a geometric progression in the quantity and speed of devel opment of new medical knowledge, but also this development is occurring at very dif ferent rates in different countries. This is particularly true in medical imaging. The result is that it is now virtually impossible to produce a "single author" book that can cover the field or even a subdivi sion of it. This absolute requirement for multiple authors has in turn created the need for a new type of editor/author who must be multinational in approach, have a uniquely informed appreciation of what is going on in medical imaging research throughout the entire world and possess the depth of personal knowledge and experience to judge cor rectly what work is the most rigorous and likely to have the greatest impact."

Assisted Circulation 3 is an authoritative review of the progress which has been achieved in the last 5 years since the appearance of Assisted Circulation 2 in 1984. The present book highlights the work of well-known experts on - new indications for assisted circulation, - cardiac assist devices as bridges toward transplantation, - temporary mechanical heart support, - results of long term studies into problems of tissue overgrowth, infection, and physiological regulation of cardiac devices, and - new results on cardiac transplantation and the new immunsuppresive regima. Assisted Circulation 3 is the latest product of an ongoing effort by the editors to keep readers abreast of recent advances in the field on a regular basis.

Over the past 15 years, a multitude of new transluminal techniques have been developed, all designed to broaden the range of indications and improve the results of angioplasty. Among these, the implantation of intravascular stents has emerged as the technique with the greatest promise. It has become clear that stenting not only successfully deals with the problem of abrupt closure after angioplasty, but also reduces the incidence of restenosis, the Achilles heel of angioplasty. The reason why restenosis is reduced may be because the immediate gain of luminal diameter is greater with stenting than with any other technique. Even if the late loss of diameter is similar among most currently used transluminal techniques, the end result will stilI be better after stenting because of the nearly ideal primary effect. The aims of this book are twofold: first it presents a state-of-the-art summary of the progress made in stenting so far, and secondly it details some of the prospects for future improvement. The concept of stenting has proved to be a correct one, and therefore alI future efforts wilI be directed towards new, safe, and biologicalIy "friendly" stents.

Despite a worldwide reduction in its incidence, stroke remains one of the most common diseases generally and the most important cause of premature and persistent disability in the industrialized countries. The most frequent cause of stroke is a localized disturbance of cerebral circulation, i.e., cerebral ischemia. Less common are spon taneous intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages and sinus ve nous thromboses. The introduction of new diagnostic procedures such as cranial computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, digi tal subtraction radiologic techniques, and various ultrasound tech niques has led to impressive advances in the diagnosis of stroke. Through the planned application of these techniques, it is even possible to identify the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying focal cerebral ischemia in humans. However, these diagnostic advances have made the gap between diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic implications even greater than before. This fact can be easily explained. In the past, therapeutic studies had to be based on the symptoms and temporal aspects of stroke; it was impossible for early investigations to consider the various pathogeneses of cerebral ischemia. Inevitably, stroke patients were treated as suffering from a uniform disease.