Masses of the spinal canal are classified by their anatomic location. They may involve the extradural, intradural–extramedullary, or intramedullary space. Localizing a mass to a specific compartment is often helpful…

Vascular Diseases M. Forsting 2.1 Cerebral Ischemia Stroke is caused either by cerebral ischemia (70–80% of all cases) or by an intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage (20–30%). It has an acute to…

Congenital malformations of the spinal column are generally diagnosed immediately after birth or during the first years of life; rarely, they are discovered in older children or adults. The timing…

Fig. 10.1 First drawing of a human ventricular system. Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci from the Schlossmuseum in Weimar, shown here in modified form. This is the first drawing of a…

y The relatively low incidence of spinal infarctions must certainly relate to the anatomy of ▶ the blood supply to the spinal cord. Briefly, the spinal cord is supplied by…

The indication for MRI in acutely spine-injured patients is decided on an interdisciplinary basis. Positioning and monitoring are highly demanding and require special care and attention. The anesthesia unit and…

Bacteria Fungi Parasites Mycobacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. avium) Spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi, Leptospira interrogans, Treponema pallidum) Brucella Tropheryma whippelii Listeria monocytogenes Neisseria meningitidis Francisella tularensis Actinomycetes Nocardia Cryptococcus neoformans Coccidoides immitis…

Neurodegenerative disease processes lead to the destruction of normally functioning neurons and their replacement by functionally deficient tissue such as glial scar tissue. In many cases the actual causes of…

The sagittal plane provides extensive longitudinal spinal coverage and permits the simultaneous evaluation of vertebral bodies, intervertebral disks, ligaments, the spinal canal, neural foramina, and spinal cord. When special phased-array…

Head Trauma W. Wiesmann 4.1 Introduction and Epidemiology The incidence of head trauma requiring hospitalization is estimated at 200 to 300 cases per 100,000 population per year. Children under 15 years old…