Giuseppe Guglielmi – författare

The progressive increase of the average age of the population, of life expectancy and the improvement of the quality of life are common phenomena in many countries of the World.

Over the years, the management of older persons seems to have had an increasing impact both on the socio-economic and on the medical-health level. Medicine, in all its branches, has in fact focused more and more on the health conditions of the elderly patient and its protection and, in this context, due to the increasing progress in the field of technology and imaging methods, the radiologist occupies a front-line position.

Unlike the young or middle-aged patients, the elderly need special care and attention, especiallybecause of the involutive-degenerative senile processes they have to face, which must be taken into account to avoid incurring into misdiagnosis.

Radiology, in fact, aims more and more at developing imaging techniques that are on the one hand satisfactory and comprehensive, but at the same time that do not represent any risk and/or obstacle for the elderly patient.

The aim of this book is to provide the radiologist, and not only, with an adequate and complete geriatric preparation, thus to improve the diagnostic-therapeutic management of those patients who, to date, constitute the most conspicuous part of the medical-health users.

Osteoporosis is a serious problem worldwide, and its significance is continuing to increase as the world population grows and ages. Osteoporosis and Bone Densitometry Measurements provides a comprehensive review of the latest research on this potentially devastating condition. The book encompasses prevention, diagnosis, and therapy, providing state of the art information on each aspect. A wide range of topics are discussed, including differentiation between acute and chronic, benign and malignant vertebral fractures; the value of the WHO FRAX tool in patient evaluation; the roles of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, quantitative computed tomography, quantitative ultrasound, and high-resolution imaging; and the use of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty to treat vertebral compression fractures. All chapters are written by acknowledged experts in the field.

In the elderly, the coexistence of various diseases, the presence of involutional and degenerative changes, and the occurrence of both physical and cognitive problems represent “the norm.” It is therefore important to know how to distinguish the healthy elderly from those in need of treatment as a sound basis for avoiding overdiagnosis and overtreatment. This aspect is a central theme in Geriatric Imaging, which covers a wide range of applications of different imaging techniques and clearly explains both the potential and the limitations of diagnostic imaging in geriatric patients. Individual sections are devoted to each major region or system of the body, and a concluding section focuses specifically on interventional procedures. The book, written by recognized experts in the field, is superbly illustrated and will be an ideal resource for geriatricians, radiologists, and trainees.

La "cultura geriatrica" - intesa come conoscenza e dominio dei processi di invecchiamento - non ha avuto ancora piena affermazione in campo medico-sanitario. Questo comporta che il più delle volte non si sappia distinguere a pieno il limite tra il fisiologico e il patologico che distinge l’anziano sano con gli inevitabili "acciacchi" dovuti all’invecchiamento da quello abbisognevole di supporti sanitari e/o assistenziali. Finora si è spesso trattato l’anziano con la cultura dell’adulto, molto diversa da quella geriatrica, con il risultato di considerare malato anche chi ha solo il torto di dimostrare i propri anni. In sostanza, mentre le età della crescita e della piena efficienza sono ben conosciute nei loro aspetti normali e patologici, non altrettanto avviene per l’età della decadenza, per la quale ci si avvale impropriamente di un altro metro di valutazione. Il risultato inevitabile di tutto questo è che gli interventi di supporto per la terza età possono essere scorretti, così come l’impiego delle risorse umane e finanziare ad essa destinate. I vincoli economici sempre più stretti da un lato e il progressivo allargamento della popolazione anziana dall’altro rendono ormai ineludibile l’affermarsi di una vera e propria "cultura geriatrica" non solo in campo diagnostico radiologico ma anche in tutte le altre discipline specialistiche. Quest’opera vuole andare in questa direzione.