Steinkopff Darmstadt

The surgical results of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in the 1960s and 1970s were not very satisfactory. The search for the ideal substitute for the diseased aortic valve led Donald Ross to develop the concept of the aortic allograft in 1962 and the pulmonary autograft in 1967 for subcoronary implantation, and later, in 1972, as a full root for replacing the aortic root in the infected aortic valve with a root abscess. The aortic al- graft and pulmonary autograft surgical procedures were revo- tionary in the history of cardiac valve surgery in the last m- lennium because they compete well with the bioprosthesis, are nonthrombogenic (thus, requiring no postoperative anticoa- lation), are resistant to infection, restore the anatomic units of the aortic or pulmonary outflow tract, and offer unimpeded blood flow and excellent hemodynamics, giving patients a b- ter prognosis and quality of life. Surgery for congenital, degenerative, and inflammatory aortic valve and root diseases has now reached a high level of maturity; yet an ideal valve for valve replacement is not available. The- fore, surgeons are focusing their skills and their clinical and s- entific knowledge on optimizing the technical artistry of val- sparing procedures.

Surgical options for the treatment of degenerative, ischemic, inflammatory, and functional mitral valve diseases have expanded greatly in recent decades. Still, a dilemma exists with employing prosthetic mitral valves - in that mechanical valves exhibit good durability but require anticoagulation versus the unpredictable durability of biological valve prostheses. Over the past few years, it has become clear that reconstruction of the mitral valve with autologous tissues effectively addresses this dilemma, with no need for anticoagulation and excellent durability, combining the best qualities of both prosthetic options without the disadvantages. Moreover, newer repair strategies, such as autologous pericardial leaflet augmentation and artificial choral replacement have expanded reparative approaches into virtually all pathologies, with excellent long-term results as compared to prosthetic valve replacement. At present, mitral repair is becoming the dominant procedure for treatment of virtually all patients with mitral valve disease. This book is designed to illustrate contemporary and sometimes diverse surgical techniques for various types of mitral valve repair with contributions from many of the leaders in the field. Mitral Valve Repair and the recently published Aortic Root Surgery are book publications arising from the Berlin Heart Valve Symposium 2008 entitled " The Biological Solution". The Mitral Valve Repair session was postponed to June 2009 and was featured as the Berlin Mitral Valve Symposium at the joint meeting of the Society for Heart Valve Diseases and the Heart Valve Society of America in Berlin. The book contains a collection of proceedings on current techniques and outcomes of mitral valve repair by many of the experts in this field which provide an authoritative reference source for cardiac surgeons, family practitioners and clinicians.

The scope and importance of hip fractures is almost incomprehensible. With a world wide incidence of close to 2 million cases per year, these fractures pose a daunting challenge to our ability to affect and treat this epidemic. This book discusses basics for operative treatment of proximal and distal femur fractures, such as: clear surgical indication, short planning and preparation, 24 h, full weight bearing osteosynthesis, early mobilisation, and physiotherapy. In comprehensive form the book presents the usage of a meanwhile well installed implant (DMS) for osteosynthesis technique in the peritrochanteric region. The 'double dynamic' stabilization (sliding tongue principle and angle adapted contoured fit) means a state of the art fracture treatment procedure. It is a convincing alternative to achieve a biological osteosynthesis at the femur. The system includes an infinitely adjustable, flexible angle, dynamic plate with a tubular distal part.

Cartilage defects affect patients of all age groups. Surgeons, teamdoctors, general practitioners and physiotherapists alike are expected to provide adequate care. Only individual treatment plans combining a well balanced choice of various options will be successful. Background knowledge, operative and non-operative therapies are described in concise chapters: Articular cartilage biology - Diagnostics - Surgical techniques - Symptomatic and alternative medications - Physiotherapy. Diagnostic findings and surgical procedures are generously illustrated by aquarelles and colour photographs. Recommendations for additional reading, description of important clinical scoring systems and a listing of analytic tools are added for further information.

A sound background in dermatopathology is essential for the diagnosis of both inflammatory dermatoses and cutaneous tumors. This book provides an introduction to the principles of dermatopathology, aimed primarily at dermatologists and pathologists in training, but useful for a wide audience. Everyone interested in dermatopathology will profit from combined knowledge of 4 experienced dermatopathologists, uniform structure approach concentrating on common diagnoses, logical presentation of clinical and histological features, large clearly labeled illustrations, clues for differential diagnostic considerations. All pictures are in color, printed on high-quality paper, clearly labeled and designed to help every reader become skilled at identifying both patterns and specific diagnostic features rapidly. A dermatopathology designed to be used, not just read - written by practitioners for daily practice.

Stroke MRI is a new imaging tool providing detailed information of the pathophysiological aspects of cerebral ischemia.This book with CD-ROM includes a case collection of 25 hyperacute stroke patients, all imaged within six hours of stroke onset with a complete stroke MRI protocol. Stroke MRI and the established clinical methods are compared and recent results from single and multicenter trials are presented to demonstrate the advantages of MRI for stroke patients. The CD-ROM contains diffusion-, T2-, T2*-perfusion-weighted images and MR angiography. Each case offers to answer the relevant questions concerning vessel status and lesion size as well as presence or absence of a "tissue at risk" with a self assessment mode and the experts - therapeutic decision.The CD and the book are complementary to avoid redundancy as far as possible. They will be useful to both the experienced researcher using MRI and the clinician or researcher with no previous knowledge of the technology.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is a new method for the treatment of numerous chronic disorders of the musculos- keletal system: Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder joint - Lateral epicondylitis - Medial epicondylitis - Plantar fas- ciitis - Pseudarthrosis. Other indications are being investigated either in clinical studies or as empirical therapeutic possibilities of ESWT. This book gives a clear overview of the present status of ESWT and ultrasound imaging in the management of musculoske- letal disorders.