Die Strahlentherapie gutartiger Erkrankungen ist zu Unrecht einesteils in Vergessen- heit geraten, andererseits fiirchtet man vor allem unerwiinschte oder gar gefahrliche Bestrahlungsfolgen. Die moglichen Gefahrdungen sind heute, dank Untersuchungen in den heiden letzten Jahrzehnten, gut bekannt. Bei richtiger Indikationsstellung und adaquater Technik sind die Gefahren bei Bestrahlung gutartiger Erkrankungen von gleicher GroBenordnung, wenn nicht kleiner, als diejenigen anderer medizinischer MaB- nahmen. In zahlreichen Fallen ist die Strahlentherapie die wirksamste, gelegentlich sogar die lebensrettende Behandlung. Auch kann sie angewandt werden, wenn andere Verfahren nicht zum gewiinschten Erfolg gefiihrt haben. Anzeigestellung, Methodik, Erfolgs- aussichten, mogliche Gefahrdung und ihre Vermeidung werden bei verschiedenen Er- krankungen beschrieben. Die Darstellung des derzeitigen Standes des Wissens auf dem Gebiet der Strahlentherapie gutartiger Erkrankungen gibt dem Fachmann ein wertvolles Hilfsmittel in die Hand und wird diese Behandlungsform zu der ihr gebiihrenden An- wendung fiihren. Bern, Aprill970 A. ZUPPINGER Preface In non-malignant diseases radiotherapy has on the one hand fallen into undeserved neglect and on the other aroused fears of undesirable and even dangerous sequelae. Today, as a result of studies carried out over the last 20 years, the risks of radiation are well understood. Given correct interpretation of symptoms and adequate technical resources, the risks of treating non-malignant diseases by irradiation are of the same order of magnitude, or less than those attending other medical procedures. Radiotherapy is very often the most effective treatment and on occasion can even be life-saving. It can also be used where other methods have failed.

In spring this year it will be 23 years since I began to study rotation technique as applied to radiology. In applying this technique to roentgenography the name Rotation Radiography was adopted publicly in 1946. Since then this study has revealed that the technique is valuable not only in diagnosis but also in radiotherapy, and the name Conformation Radiotherapy was publicly an- nounced in 1960. Through these studies it became clear that it is possible to show the axial transverse cross section of the human body roentgenographically, which could be of great value medically, but it was realized that no detailed roentgenograms of the axial transverse cross section covering the whole of the normal human adult have been published so far. To prepare an atlas was therefore considered basic for the practical application of this method, since without it further developments of this type of roentgenography cannot be expected. Conse- quently it was decided first to prepare the atlas. In addition, the clinical application of this method to the diagnostic and therapeutic field was described with brief notes on the essential features of the method.