Bøger udgivet af Springer Milan

The 20th century has finished, the century when surgery took huge steps forward thanks to progress in technology. Now we have entered the "century of biotechnologies", which will not only generate progress in surgery, but also lead to a real "cultural revolution" that will completely change approaches to solving different problems in medicine. The aim of this book is to bring surgeons closer to biotechnologies and to overcome the cultural gap dividing them from these new approaches. Biotechnologies are already proposed and used at different levels in surgical practice: in diagnostic technique, enabling practitioners to identify diseases at an early stage and follow their molecular modification over time; and in tissue engineering, where the use of "smart scaffolds" offers a possible answer to increasing demand for biocompatible tissues and organs in transplantation surgery. This volume focuses on the emerging field of stem cells, analyzing both their role as possible players in originating and perpetuating cancer ¿ "cancer stem cells" ¿ and, conversely, their extraordinary therapeutical potential. An additional section is dedicated to the evaluation and application of derived molecular factors that can enhance the physiological processes that are fundamentally important in surgery, such as hemostasis and wound healing. Surgeons have always been technologists, in the sense that since surgery began they have always needed technology, beginning with a scalpel and surgical instruments. They have always cooperated with technologists. However, in the new century, the first one of the millennium, a rapid increase in knowledge that is outside the realm of the surgeon¿s traditional technological training is imposing itself ¿ hence the aim of this book. It is now urgent to encourage surgeons to embrace this knowledge (biotechnology) with confidence. By its very nature, biotechnology is completely different from the technologies used so far, because it escapesthe senses of sight and touch, which up to now have been the essence of the surgeon¿s work. The cellular and molecular dimensions of biotechnologies are still far removed from most of the recent advances in modern surgical techniques. A common language between surgeons and biotechnologists will create further, revolutionary, progress in surgical sciences in the twenty-first century.

This is the first time a book about laparoscopy in emergency abdominal surgery has been published. Numerous articles have been published in specific surgical journals, but, until now, there has not been a book that collates all the aspects of this little-known field. The aim of this volume is to achieve a complete and easy presentation of all the implications associated with laparoscopy in emergency abdominal surgery. The book should be a manual that can be easily consulted by digestive, general, and specialized surgeons, especially in an emergency. The authors¿ contributions are founded on evidence-based medicine, which give the book scientific credibility, but this is coupled with their experience of daily practice, which adds an important complementary dimension to evidence-based medicine. This is balanced by an emphasis on clarity and accessibility, because the ultimate aim of the book is educational. We hope this book will be frequently consulted, in depth, not only by specialistpractitioners, but also by undergraduate students, new graduates and surgeons in training.

Written by internationally renowned experts, this volume is a collection of chapters dealing with imaging diagnosis and interventional therapies in neuroradiology and diseases of the spine. The different topics are disease-oriented and encompass all the relevant imaging modalities including X-ray technology, nuclear medicine, ultrasound and magnetic resonance, as well as image-guided interventional techniques. It represents a unique experience for residents in radiology as well as for experienced radiologists wishing to be updated on the current state of the art.

Aim of the volume is to give an overview of the state of the art on the emerging cardiac pathologies such as acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, sudden death, heart failure, global cardiovascular prevention and syncope.The volume chapters, written by leading experts in these fields, offer the latest information about epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and novel treatments of these pathologies.Addressed to cardiologists, internists, first aid clinicians, practitioners, it will be very helpful also for residents, nurses and all health professionals involved in the management of cardiac pathologies.

In recent years, the imaging-based diagnosis of mass liver lesions has become increasingly complex due to the number and morphological variability of lesions that modern imaging techniques are currently able to display. If the sensitivity in detection has greatly increased, characterisation has remained difficult and represents a critical challenge for the clinician.The availability of blood-pool contrast agents for ultrasound (US), in particular second-generation US contrast agents based on perfluorocarbon- or sulfur-hexafluoride-filled microbubbles, and the development of contrast-specific software and technologies have opened up new perspectives both for the immediate characterisation of any mass lesion detected in the liver and for increasing the sensitivity of US in the detection of liver metastases.Taking into account the great impact of this new technology on clinical practice, the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) organised, in January 2004, in Rotterdam, a consensus meeting of experts in order to develop guidelines for the use of US contrast agents in the diagnosis of liver diseases . These guidelines, as well as discussions of further advances in the clinical application of contrast-enhanced harmonic US are presented in this book by an internationally renowned group of experts. The book represents provides an important starting point for clinical implementation of this new diagnostic procedure.

In modern medicine the most functional methodologies are taking an increasing importance in spreading informations, rendering it credible while at the same time using reliable data to focus interaction between basic science and clinical medicine. Critical care medicine embraces these needs and more than any other discipline thrives and develops thanks to interdisciplinary contact. APICE 2004 has been organised to provide precise answers to these issues. In particular, considerable emphasis has been given to the reviews regarding the most important aspects - or the most significant clinical developments - in the sectors involving variety of functions: neurological, respiratory and cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, metabolism and perfusion; trauma infections, sepsis and organ failure; perioperative medicine and life support techniques; information technology dedicated to clinical medicine, but also as a means of information and education. The contributing authors are all part of leading research groups at the international level in the various sectors presented in the volume.