Imaging the Brain

Exciting advances in anatomical imaging have greatly improved our capacity to detect pathologic processes in the nervous system, localize these processes precisely, and predict the type of disease more accurately than ever before (Table 1). These advances, coupled with new and emerging therapies for previously untreatable diseases, have expedited the evaluation of patients with neurologic disorders and permitted the rapid initiation of therapy. In acute ischemic stroke, for example, brain imaging is required before the administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, and treatment within three hours of onset greatly improves the outcome.¹ The rapid evolution of techniques of anatomical imaging . . .