As an addition to the European postgraduate training system for young neurosurgeons we began to publish in 1974 this series of Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery which was later sponsored by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. This series was first discussed in 1972 at a combined meeting of the Italian and German Neurosurgical Societies in Taormina, the founding fathers of the series being Jean Brihaye, Bernard Pertuiset, Fritz Loew and of European co Hugo Krayenbtihl. Thus were established the principles operation which have been born from the European spirit, flourished in the European Association, and have throughout been associated with this series. The fact that the English language is well on the way to becoming the international medium at European scientific conferences is a great asset in terms of mutual understanding. Therefore we have decided to publish all contributions in English, regardless of the native language of the authors. All contributions are submitted to the entire editorial board before publi cation of any volume. Our series is not intended to compete with the publications of original scientific papers in other neurosurgical journals. Our intention is, rather, to present fields of neurosurgery and related areas in which important recent advances have been made. The contributions are written by specialists in the given fields and constitute the first part of each volume.

As Lord Kelvin said, "Fourier's theorem is not only one of the most beautiful results of modern analysis, but it may be said to furnish an indispensable instrument in the treatment of nearly every recondite question in modern physics." This has remained durable knowledge for a century, and has extended its applicability to topics as diverse as medical imaging (CT scanning), the presentation of images on screens and their digital transmission, remote sensing, geophysical exploration, and many branches of engineering. Fourier Analysis and Imaging is based on years of teaching a course on the Fourier Transform at the senior or early graduate level, as well as on Prof. Bracewell's 1995 text Two-Dimensional Imaging. It is an excellent textbook and will also be a welcome addition to the reference library of those many professionals whose daily activities involve Fourier analysis in its many guises.

In recent years cell-based technologies have gained significant scientific attention, and have become a matter of intense public debate as well. Namely, (i) tissue engineering, the construction of tissues and whole organs using molecularly-designed resorbable biomaterials to create new tissue de novo with or without transplanting cells; (ii) the potential use of human embryonic stem cells for transplantation and regenerative medicine (with similar potential for adult-derived stem cells); (iii) and gene therapy, in relation with cell transplantation, have taken their places as the most discussed biomedical issues of the day. New findings in biomimetic materials, cell signalling pathways, extracellular matrix receptors and ligands, growth factors, and the human genome project are motivating the developments in these challenging research areas. This book includes manuscripts on tissue engineering, stem cells and gene therapies authored by world-renowned scientists of the field. The first section of the volume consists of four chapters giving perspectives for the current status and potential future of tissue engineering and stem cell technologies. The second section of the volume includes five chapters based on experimental and clinical data. In this section, the role of stem cells in liver tissue engineering, cell-based therapies in diabetes mellitus, and chronic degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, and adult-derived stem cell therapies are discussed. The two chapters of the third section focus on the biomarkers for tissue-engineered products, namely for tissue-engineered skin. The eight chapters of the fourth section discuss novel biomaterials developed for neural-, vascular-, aortic-, bone-, cartilage- and endocrine pancreas-tissue engineering applications. The last section of the book includes chapters on practical gene targeting applications, controlled release in gene therapy and tissue engineering, antibodies in cancer, acute-phase genes and phage-displayed peptide libraries. Proceedings of BIOMED 2002 The 9th International Symposium on Biomedical Science and Technology, held September 19-22, 2002, in Antalya, Turkey.

Kornhuber and Deecke first recorded and reported the Bereitschaftspotential in 1964. The aim of this book is to bring together in a single volume some of the important research on the Bereitschaftspotential and other movement-related cortical potentials and to highlight and address some of the pertinent questions relating to the Bereitschaftspotential and to identify the key issues for future investigation in this field. This book represents a unique compilation of information about the Bereitschaftspotential and related cortical potentials and techniques for measuring preparatory processes in the brain. The book will be of interest to motor physiologists, psychologists and neurologists working in clinical or research laboratories.

Sharmila Majumdar In the area of osteoporosis and skeletal changes, it is currently accepted that bone mineral density (BMD), widely used for screening, monitoring and assessing therapeutic efficacy, does not adequately explain the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, the process of aging, or the therapeutic efficacy of various treatments. In this context, trabecular micro- architecture has enormous potential to contribute to understanding the pathophysiology of osteopor.osis and therapy assessment. The use and value of noninvasive imaging and quantitative image analysis and processing of trabecular bone micro-architecture have increased dramatically due to recent advances in instrumentation and software. This emerging field is diverse, interdisciplinary, and encompasses many different imaging modalities. Interested researchers include those involved in technique development, basic science and animal studies, as well as clinical researchers and practicing physicians. With the growth of this area of research, a group of investigators at the 11th Interna- tional Workshop of Bone Densitometry, 1 concluded that a forum dedicated to this matter was urgently needed. With this agenda, Dr. Peter Ruegsegger organized the first sympo- 2 sium on conjunction with the 10th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics. The symposium on Bone Architecture and Competence was a two-hourlong event which resulted in five chapters in Bone Research and Biomechanics, edited by G. Lowet, P. Ruegsegger, H. Weinans, and A. Meunier, published by lOS Press, 1997. The second symposium was held as a pre-symposium to the 12th Workshop on Bone Denistometry,3 and flourished as a daylong event.

"This book is concerned with a probabilistic approach for image analysis, mostly from the Bayesian point of view, and the important Markov chain Monte Carlo methods commonly used....This book will be useful, especially to researchers with a strong background in probability and an interest in image analysis. The author has presented the theory with rigor he doesn t neglect applications, providing numerous examples of applications to illustrate the theory." -- MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS"

This book examines multi-quantum magnetic resonance imaging methods and the diagnostics of brain disorders. It consists of two Parts. The part I is initially devoted towards the basic concepts of the conventional single quantum MRI techniques. It is supplemented by the basic knowledge required to understand multi-quantum MRI. Practical illustrations are included both on recent developments in conventional MRI and the MQ-MRI. This is to illustrate the connection between theoretical concepts and their scope in the clinical applications. The Part II initially sets out the basic details about quadrupole charge distribution present in certain nuclei and their importance about the functions they perform in our brain. Some simplified final mathematical expressions are included to illustrate facts about the basic concepts of the quantum level interactions between magnetic dipole and the electric quadrupole behavior of useful nuclei present in the brain. Selected practical illustrations, from research and clinical practices are included to illustrate the newly emerging ideas and techniques. The reader should note that the two parts of the book are written with no interdependence. One can read them quite independently.

Traditional research methodologies in the human respiratory system have always been challenging due to their invasive nature. Recent advances in medical imaging and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have accelerated this research. This book compiles and details recent advances in the modelling of the respiratory system for researchers, engineers, scientists, and health practitioners. It breaks down the complexities of this field and provides both students and scientists with an introduction and starting point to the physiology of the respiratory system, fluid dynamics and advanced CFD modeling tools. In addition to a brief introduction to the physics of the respiratory system and an overview of computational methods, the book contains best-practice guidelines for establishing high-quality computational models and simulations. Inspiration for new simulations can be gained through innovative case studies as well as hands-on practice using pre-made computational code. Last but not least, students and researchers are presented the latest biomedical research activities, and the computational visualizations will enhance their understanding of physiological functions of the respiratory system.

It is estimated that the functionally significant body of knowledge for a given medical specialty changes radically every 8 years. New specialties and "sub specialization" are occurring at approximately an equal rate. Historically, estab lished journals have not been able either to absorb this increase in publishable material or to extend their readership to the new specialists. International and national meetings, symposia and seminars, workshops, and newsletters success fully bring to the attention of physicians within developing specialties what is occurring, but generally only in demonstration form without providing historical perspective, pathoanatomical correlates, or extensive discussion. Page and time limitations oblige the authors to present only the essence of their material. Pediatric neurosurgery is an example of a specialty that has developed during the past 15 years. Over this period, neurosurgeons have obtained special train ing in pediatric neurosurgery, and then dedicated themselves primarily to its practice. Centers, Chairs, and educational programs have been established as groups of neurosurgeons in different countries throughout the world organized themselves respectively into national and international societies for pediatric neurosurgery. These events were both preceded and followed by specialized courses, national and international journals, and ever-increasing clinical and investigative studies into all aspects of surgically treatable diseases of the child's nervous system."

Since the early 20th century, medical imaging has been dominated by monochrome imaging modalities such as x-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging. As a result, color information has been overlooked in medical image analysis applications. Recently, various medical imaging modalities that involve color information have been introduced. These include cervicography, dermoscopy, fundus photography, gastrointestinal endoscopy, microscopy, and wound photography. However, in comparison to monochrome images, the analysis of color images is a relatively unexplored area. The multivariate nature of color image data presents new challenges for researchers and practitioners as the numerous methods developed for monochrome images are often not directly applicable to multichannel images. The goal of this volume is to summarize the state-of-the-art in the utilization of color information in medical image analysis.

This book describes medical imaging systems, such as X-ray, Computed tomography, MRI, etc. from the point of view of digital signal processing. Readers will see techniques applied to medical imaging such as Radon transformation, image reconstruction, image rendering, image enhancement and restoration, and more. This book also outlines the physics behind medical imaging required to understand the techniques being described. The presentation is designed to be accessible to beginners who are doing research in DSP for medical imaging. Matlab programs and illustrations are used wherever possible to reinforce the concepts being discussed.

In this issue of Neurologic Clinics, guest editor Dr. Sangam Kanekar brings his considerable expertise to the topic of Imaging of Headache. Top experts in the field cover key topics such as headache attributed to disorder of the cranium and base of the skull; role of CT and MRI in evaluation of headache due to paranasal sinus and teeth disorder; imaging of painful ophthalmologic disorders; role of MRI and CT in the evaluation of headache in pregnancy and postpartum period; assessment and imaging of pediatric and adolescent headache; and more. Contains 12 relevant, practice-oriented topics including "when to and when not to" image headache; imaging appearance of migraine and tension type headache; radiology of trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgias; post-traumatic headaches and post-craniotomy syndromes; imaging of headache attributed to vascular disorder; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on imaging of headache, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The second volume includes 82 papers organized in topical sections on cardiovascular imaging: planning, intervention and simulation; image registration; neuroimage analysis; diffusion weighted imaging; image segmentation; computer-assisted interventions and robotics; and image registration: new methods and results.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The third volume includes 79 papers organized in topical sections on diffusion imaging: from acquisition to tractography; image acquisition, segmentation and recognition; image registration; neuroimage analysis; analysis of microscopic and optical images; image segmentation; diffusion weighted imaging; computer-aided diagnosis and planning; and microscopic image analysis.

Forensic anthropology deals with human remains usually in the skeletonized form. The application of microscopy to skeletal tissues is well established and used routinely in biomedical science. Its adaptation to forensic questions is an increasing area of interest, and publications utilizing microscopy have increased in the scientific literature. In Forensic Microscopy for Skeletal Tissues: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the forensic, archeological and paleontological disciplines, and detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study skeletal material. These methods include differing forms of light, confocal, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Forensic Microscopy for Skeletal Tissues: Methods and Protocols bring together differing forms of microscopy that are used in association with forensic anthropology, or have relevance to questions concerning forensic anthropology.

The three-volume set LNCS 7510, 7511, and 7512 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2012, held in Nice, France, in October 2012. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 252 revised papers from 781 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The first volume includes 91 papers organized in topical sections on abdominal imaging, computer-assisted interventions and robotics; computer-aided diagnosis and planning; image reconstruction and enhancement; analysis of microscopic and optical images; computer-assisted interventions and robotics; image segmentation; cardiovascular imaging; and brain imaging: structure, function and disease evolution.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Spatio-temporal Image Analysis for Longitudinal and Time-Series Image Data, STIA 2012, held in conjunction with MICCAI 2012 in Nice, France, in October 2012. The 13 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 22 submissions. They are organized in topical sections named: longitudinal registration and transport; spatio-temporal analysis for shapes; spatio-temporal analysis under appearance changes; and spatio-temporal analysis for biology.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Multimodal Brain Image Analysis, held in conjunction with MICCAI 2012, in Nice, France, in October 2012. The 19 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The objective of this workshop is to forward the state of the art in analysis methodologies, algorithms, software systems, validation approaches, benchmark datasets, neuroscience, and clinical applications.

Dr. Leonard Swischuk has revised his outstanding work on imaging the cervical spine in children. He draws upon his extensive experience to provide practitioners with an insightful approach to pediatric cervical spine injuries. The text covers developmental anatomy, normal variants, congenital anomalies, abnormalities of the dens, trauma, and miscellaneous abnormalities of the cervical spine. The book has several strengths that appeal to radiology residents, such as its succinct overview of the topic and helpful reference lists that guide readers to additional resources. Dr. Swischuk illustrates conditions he discusses with excellent plain film examples that help residents identify cases they are likely to encounter during board exams and in practice. Accompanying CT and MR images clarify and qualify the findings. Dr. Swischuk's direct writing style makes the complex content highly accessible, providing imaging residents with an invaluable introduction to pediatric cervical spine radiology.

MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery will be the first publication on this new technology, and will present a variety of current and future clinical applications in tumor ablation treatment. This source helps surgeons and specialists evaluate, analyze, and utilize MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery - bridging the gap between phase 3 clinical trials and the expansion to the clinical practice - by exploring fundamental principles and future clinical applications using this new therapeutic method.

The basic principles of the phenomenon "erection" have been known since the pioneering work of Kolliker, Eckhard and Langley in the nineteenth century. Nonetheless, under the influence of Freud, erectile dysfunction was predominantly at tributed to psychogenic factors. A more liberal perception of sexuality since the 1960s, the development of new and refined diagnostic techniques, and the expansion of basic research activity resulted in a new concept of erectile dysfunction, identifying arteriogenic, venogenic, endocrinologic or myopathic (cavernous smooth muscle dysfunction) factors. From this research other considerations such as autonomic innervation, cavernous endo thelial intactness or impaired neurotransmitter pool are being introduced into routine clinical assessment. A reevaluation of psychogenic etiology with a consequential new concept of psy chogenic impotence is on the rise. In this book the new concepts of basic knowledge on cavernous smooth muscle function and its supraspinal, spinal, and local control; the new diagnostic approaches in psychogenic and autonomic factors; and the new developments of reconstructive therapeutic options for the patient have been tied together. Outstanding and internationally renowned experts in the field of erectile dysfunction have given detailed insight into the latest basic and clinical developments. Well-established diagnostic and thera peutic techniques are presented by experienced colleagues. We hope that this book will help the reader to get an overview of the current concepts of erection. Furthermore, we hope that international collaboration in basic and clinical research in the field of erectile dysfunction will render an update necessary in the near future.

Angiocardiography has undergone tremendous development. It currently repre- sents the imaging system offering the highest resolution and greatest detail information. A widely applicable, complex technique able to meet high standards was required by the increasing number of coronary bypass interventions as well as by the advent of interventional catheter techniques, such as transluminal per- cutaneous catheter balloon dilatation, recanalization techniques, and intracoro- nary thrombolytic procedures. At the same time, improved image resolution began to furnish information on intracoronary flow dynamics and anatomy, thereby opening a new avenue of acquiring prognostically and therapeutically important pathophysiologic information. In spite of rapid improvements in the equipment, there are still demands for improved resolution, image quality, and methods of image processing. In this situation, the need was felt to describe the current status of equipment, angiocardiographic systems, image intensifiers, photographic materials, and processing techniques. Furthermore, the attempt was made to describe evalua- tion techniques using manual or computer-assisted semi- or fully automated procedures to estimate left ventricular volumes, ventricular mass, cardiac func- tion, anatomy, and flow dynamics of the coronary arterial system. This book assembles original work presented at a symposium held by the European Soci- ety of Cardiology, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Herz-und Kreisiaufforschung, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fUr Biomedizinische Technik. It was the aim of the symposium to outline the current state of the art and to define a process for further improvement.

As with the introduction of x -ray computed tomography, much of the initial development of magnetic resonance applications tended to focus on the central nervous system. The development of magnetic resonance imaging applications to other organ systems such as the chest, abdomen, pelvis and extremities has lagged somewhat behind, awaiting technical improvements, and a broader user base. The past two years have seen a marked increase in imaging applications throughout the body, most notably the musculoskeletal system. It is in this regard, that MRI of the Body is a welcome arrival as a text which describes both basic principles of magnetic resonance ima ging and surveys the current status of magnetic resonance imaging applications throughout the body. The volume is concise, focused, clinically oriented, and abun dantly illustrated. In each organ system, the appropriate technical approach is discussed, the normal anatomic features are reviewed, and the range of pathologic appearances which may be encountered are described. The authors of the chapters provide a balanced overview of MR applications and describe both present limitations and future potential of magnetic resonance imaging applications in the organ system described.

In the past, for the most part, people who moved into management positions in medical imaging were chosen because they were the best technologists. However, the skill set for technologists and supervisors/managers are vastly different. Even an MBA-educated person may not be ready to take on imaging management. As an example, when buying a very expensive piece of imaging equipment, this person would not necessarily know the right questions to ask, such as: What is my guaranteed uptime? Is technologist training included? Introduction to Medical Imaging Management is a comprehensive reference for medical imaging managers learning through a combination of education and experience. This thorough book provides an in-depth overview of every major facet pertaining to the knowledge and skills necessary to become a department or imaging center supervisor or manager. The text follows a natural progression from transitioning into a management position and dealing with former peers through the most sophisticated skills uniquely applicable to medical imaging management. Covering all aspects of the profession-operations, human resources, finance, and marketing-this reference is a must-have for any potential, new, or less experienced imaging manager.

As an addition to the European postgraduate training system for young neurosurgeons we began to publish in 1974 this series devoted to Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery which was later sponsored by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies. The fact that the English language is well on the way to becoming the international medium at European scientific conferences is a great asset in terms of mutual understanding. Therefore we have decided to publish all contributions in English, regardless of the native language of the authors. All contributions are submitted to the entire editorial board before publication of any volume. Our series is not intended to compete with the publications of original scientific papers in other neurosurgical journals. Our intention is, rather, to present fields of neurosurgery and related areas in which important recent advances have been made. The contributions are written by specialists in the given fields and constitute the first part of each volume. In the second part of each volume, we publish detailed descriptions of standard operative procedures, furnished by experienced clinicians; in these articles the authors describe the techniques they employ and explain the advantages, difficulties and risks involved in the various procedures. This part is intended primarily to assist young neurosurgeons in their post graduate training. However, we are convinced that it will also be useful to experienced, fully trained neurosurgeons."