Springer Editions

Modern vascular neurology, particularly in the emergency setting, often requires a great capacity for analysis and synthesis. Physicians who manage these patients must have acquired multidisciplinary skills, including a good knowledge of clinical neurology and medical imaging, but they may also need to be skilled in cardiology and intensive care. The initial clinical and imaging examinations play a decisive role in the management strategy. This book, written by neurologists and neuroradiologists, is designed to help all physicians involved in the management of neurovascular disease. The format and contents of this book, including the latest guidelines from learned societies, are designed to provide a succinct and practical guide. Although this book is particularly devoted to ischaemic stroke, other neurovascular diseases, especially haemorrhagic stroke, are also discussed. This book should constitute a valuable tool for everyday practice for all medical personnel involved in neurovascular disease.

The inguinal hernia represents the most significant aspect of the technical and technological evolution of the second half of the 20th century, still in vogue at the beginning of this new millennium. We passed in fact, from a whole series of tra- ditional procedures, with small variations, to the most modern ones with prosthesis, to arrive then to the laparoscopy. A surgical disease, which counts more than 200 different kinds of operations, as in the case of the inguinal hernia, does not exist. This is due to the whole sur- gical category's interest towards this disease, as well as to the fact that many sur- geons try to create some new techniques, and to propose "new" prosthetic mate- rials to the Companies in order to personalize and facilitate the procedure. Recently, in this context, within the open surgery field, several variations and a great number of other prosthetic procedures have been added to the original "Tension-free hernioplasty", described by Irving Lichtenstein at the beginning of the '70s, but widespread only at the end of the '80s. Some of these prosthetic techniques had a remarkable diffusion all over the world, while others were adopted only in certain countries. In the last few years some posterior repairs arose and this is the reason why, thanks to a wonderful day-congress in Naples, with every most modern open inguinal hernia repairs, realized with live-surgery, we had the idea to summarize and to illustrate them in this book.

Primary and incisional ventral hernias are common conditions often encountered in surgical practice. Because of the frequency of this problem it has come to be managed by surgeons in general, regardless of the type of hospital or the conditions dealt with in their daily practice. Laparoscopic surgery has demonstrated to have an important role among the different technique described to repair ventral hernia with less recurrent rate, less morbidity and less overall cost than open conventional repair, with all the advange of the laparoscopic approach. As a result the indications for this surgical technique are currently being debated since the advantages are evident and progressive implementation is ensured. Now is the time to analyze the usefulness, results, technical variants, anatomic, physiologic and scientific basis and implications involved in implementation of laparoscopy as the technique of choice.

This collection of the general work of 18 authors deals with most of the problems of osteo-articular pathology of the foot and ankle in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The extensive and detailed information about the diagnostic and the therapeutic problems of the disease are included. The essential data of pathomechanics are exposed and discussed. The chapters on pathology and therapeutics are approached through a clinical framework, accompanied by multiple photographs and offer classical and recent references. The topic of foot orthoses and shoes is easily understandable. The main notions on ankle prostheses are particularly exposed and discussed. The chapters are so clearly presented that they will interest non-specialists and specialists alike. In some of the areas of the treatment, an extremely experienced author offers his point of view on the indications of the therapeutic approaches. This book will appeal to all specialists concerned by the knowledge of the foot and ankle in Rheumatoid Arthritis, whatever their areas of practice.

The forefoot surgery has been for a long time not well known or presenting many inconvenients: postoperative period painful, recurrence of the deformities. The emerging of new techniques, notably the scarf firts metatarsal osteotomy, The Weil osteotomy of the lesser metatarsal, provides a dramatic improvement of the treatment of the static forefoot disorders, the great toe osteotomy has also been greatly improved. The author has introduced these techniques from USA in France since 1991, while developing and studying the corresponding implants and the postoperative period. In the other hand, he has developed the surgical management which makes the links between these different osteotomies. About 1000 surgeons in France and around the world are using these techniques, which are always tought.

Virtual endoscopy progressively enters the real world The development of virtual reality is one of the most striking features of our Western societies. Beside chil- dren games and movies, its scope has expanded to medical imaging through 3D CT scan surface or volume re- constructions. Whatever the site clinicians are able to perform real endoscopy (RE), radiologists can now also provide virtual endoscopy (VE) images. VE enters our medical practice. The next question is to weigh the pros and cons. VE has the unique advantage to offer high-quality images obtained through a noninvasive and well-tolera- ted procedure performed in outpatients. Compared to RE, it carries no risk of bleeding, perforation or trans- mission of viruses. Importantly, VE can pass high-grade stenoses affecting large bowel, urinary tract or tra- cheobronchial tree, and visualize areas hard to visit by optic fibers such as intracranial regions. 3D VE images can be commented with patients, and this might reduce potential misunderstanding and its medico-legal consequences. Last but not least, VE is the sole alternative offered both to those who refuse RE, and to severely ill elderly patients. Then, should we consider VE as the Deus ex machina of modem medical imaging - with CT scan as rna- china - ? Clearly, the answer is no, given VE knows severals limits and pitfalls. One of the most important me- rits of this book is to discuss honestly these aspects. First, VE will never allow to perform biopsies or resections.