Brain Imaging: A Guide for Clinicians

Brain Imaging: A Guide for Clinicians is  designed to provide a foundation of information necessary to those  wishing to integrate brain imaging into their practice, or to those that  currently review brain scans but have minimal formal training in  neuroimaging. The guide covers a range of topics important to those  using brain imaging, such as the strengths and weaknesses of the many  different techniques currently available, the factors that may influence  the use of imaging data, common pitfalls or artifacts that may be  misleading to the clinician, the most appropriate techniques to use  given a specific clinical question or condition, how to interpret  information presented on a brain image, and also how many pathological  conditions appear on a variety of brain scanning techniques or  sequences. This guide also provides detailed information regarding the  identification of primary brain regions, anatomical structures, systems  or pathways using both two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging  techniques. A brain atlas is included using both CT and MRI sequences to  facilitate the reader's ability to identify most primary brain  structures. A novel color-coded system is used throughout this guide to  assist the reader in identifying slice locations and orientations.  Images with green borders are displayed in the axial plane, with the  slice location being shown on other orthogonal image planes by a green  line. Similarly, images with a red border are displayed in the coronal  plane and those with a blue border are displayed using a sagittal plane;  red and blue reference lines are displayed on orthogonal slices to  identify the slice location. The crosshairs formed by the color-coded  reference lines optimize the reader's ability to identify primary  anatomical structures or pathological markers and processes.

This book is written in a manner to  progress from a general description of the clinical use of brain images  and the interpretation of brain scans, to more complex chapters  involving neuroanatomy and imaging technology. Real life examples of  clinical cases are integrated into all chapters of this guide. Brain  Imaging: A Guide for Clinicians provides hundreds of images derived from  traumatic and non-traumatic pathologies to provide the reader with  examples of conditions most often seen in the clinic. PEARL-PERIL  sections outline critical information for the clinician, along with many  tables and charts designed to provide general information required when  interpreting brain images.