Ebook: Functional MRI: ESDIR, Seminar No. 24 Rome, October 26–28, 1995

Every day MRI is gaining more and more appreciation by all me die al specialists for its impressive quality of anatomical images. This morphological information gives consistent help in terms of earlier diagnosis, lesion characterisation, and definition of the extent of disease. However, morphology is not the only infor­ mation obtained through MRI. Recently, a large number of researchers have exploited the possibility of also obtaining functional information with MRI. Results of brain activation studies have been initially performed in Boston and have been confirmed by investiga­ tors all over the world. Important functional data can be obtained not only on the brain, but also on the heart and on parenchymal organs. The diffusion nowadays of commercial MR units used with high field gradient and echo planar techniques allows functional data to be obtained in any routine clinical activity. This book appears at the right time to provide information on fMRI to all MR users wanting to obtain clinical experience with this new too1. We thank the authors of each paper for their efforts and for the outstanding contribution both to the seminar and on these pages. We are especially grateful to BRACCO INTERNATIONAL, who generous­ ly supported the publication of this Syllabus and the European Seminar on Di­ agnostic and Interventional Radiology (ESDIR), held in Rome on October 26- 28,1995. We hope that this editorial work will be valid as a reference collection of pa­ pers on this new field of medicine.

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The latest results on functional magnetic resonance imaging presented by outstanding authors at the European Seminar held in Rome in October 1995 have been collected in this volume. MRI is being appreciated increasingly by all medical specialties for the impressive quality of anatomical images and the morphological information it can provide. The possibility of obtaining functional information using MRI has also been exploited recently. Besides brain activation, important functional data can be obtained on the heart and parenchymal organs. With the more widespread availability of MR units and high field gradient and echo planar techniques, functional data can be obtained routinely in clinical examinations.