Functional MRI

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.