Libri di Frederik Barkhof

Neuroimaging plays an essential role in the quest for early diagnosis in dementia. This up-to-date, superbly illustrated book examines in detail the diverse imaging techniques and their application in the different types of dementia. After an introductory chapter on the clinical background, the available 'toolbox' of techniques is reviewed, including structural MRI and CT, feature extraction, advanced MR techniques, SPECT and PET. The imaging findings in normal ageing are then discussed, followed by a series of chapters that present and analyze the findings in patients with dementias characterized by gray matter loss, vascular dementia, disorders mainly affecting the white matter, and dementias with associated brain swelling. The final two chapters are devoted to diagnostic algorithms and to disease monitoring. Throughout, a practical approach is adopted, geared specifically to the needs of clinicians working in the field of dementia.

This is the first work to take a comprehensive look at the application of magnetic resonance (MR) techniques in the diagnosis, follow-up and therapy monitoring of dementing illnesses. Over the years, MR has proven to be an extremely valuable method of identifying treatable disorders of dementia at an early stage, which is of great importance when keeping in mind that about 1-6 per cent of the population over the age of 65 suffers from dementing illnesses. The authors present an overview of MR findings in neurodegenerative and vascular disorders leading to dementia. In doing so, they also discuss other diseases that lead to cognitive and/or behavioural deterioration such as infectious-inflammatory disorders, toxic encephalopathies, inborn errors of metabolism of adult onset and post-traumatic, post-radiotherapy and post-chemotherapy conditions. This authoritative, well-written and richly illustrated reference work is indispensable for anybody working in the field.