SYLLABUS – serie

This volume brings together the papers which 33 radiologists, chosen among the leading European experts, presented at the Halley Project 1996 Refresher Course. The project, which I promoted and co-ordinated, started out under the aegis of the European Association of Radiology in 1992 with the aim of fostering the advancement of Radiology in various countries of Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Rumania. Thanks to the expertise and enthusiasm of distinguished colleagues from various countries in Western Europe and to the generosity of two sponsors, Bracco International and Schering A.G., it was possible to set up, in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. four Faculties of Experts in Uroradiology. Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology, Chest Radiology and Skeletal Radiology. These four faculties then gave a refresher course on the four radiological subspecialities in the six nations mentioned above. The project was called Halley, after the famous comet, in a desire to express the idea of spreading Western radiological culture among Eastern radiologists who were visited in their own countries. In these 4 years. as project leader, I accompanied the four Faculties during their tour and was thus able to experience the various local situations, not only in radiological terms but also socially. thanks to the ever warm relationships among radiologists of different nationalities and of different ages who attended the courses.

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.

This syllabus provides a wide overview of the latest developments in diagnostic work and intervention in diseases of the abdomen and pelvis. In addition to conventional diagnostic radiology, special procedures such as US, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and interventional techniques are discussed.