Progess in specific computer-assisted techniques (digital imaging , computer-aided diagnosis, image-guided surgery, MEMS, etc.) combined with computer-assisted integration tools offers a valuable complement to or replacement for existing procedures in healthcare. Physicians are now employing PACS and telemedicine systems as enabling infrastructures to improve quality of and access to healthcare. Tools based on CAD and CAS facilitate completely new paths in patient care. To ensure that CARS tools benefit the patient, collaboration between various disciplines, specifically radiology, surgery, engineering, informatics, and healthcare management, is a critical factor. A multidisciplinary congress like CARS is a step in the desired direction of knowledge sharing and crossover education. It provides the necessary cooperative framework for advancing the development and application of modern computer-assisted technologies in healthcare.
