Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance of the Thorax was first published 21 years ago; it has been 7 years since the publication of the third edition. In retrospect it is truly amazing how much has changed in the field of thoracic imaging over the course of these years. Initially restricted to computed tomography (CT) evaluation of the chest without consideration of alternate imaging methodologies, the book, in its current edition, attempts to meet the formidable challenge of keeping pace with the ever more rapidly expanding technical innovations that are taking place in the development of both hardware and software devices. These include, among others, the availability of Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS), as well remarkable advances in methods of image processing, including the growing field of computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD). Needless to say, this expansion in technology has required substantial modifications in the organization of the text.
Most important has been the inclusion of sections specifically highlighting cardiovascular imaging. With the introduction and now widespread availability of CT scanners capable of sophisticated cardiac imaging, the rationale for excluding this topic can no longer be justified. Similar considerations apply to the need for evaluating the impact of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning in the clinical management of chest disease, again reflecting the rapidly growing influence of this technology.
Despite these changes, the overall intent of this text remains the same: specifically, the authors' desire to produce a single accessible volume devoted primarily to clinical thoracic imaging. To meet this challenge, we have eliminated an introductory chapter, instead reviewing technical aspects of CT, magnetic resonance (MR), and PET scanning as individually pertinent to specific chapters. To facilitate this approach, the first three chapters have been rearranged to cover the heart, aorta, and the pulmonary arteries as a group to form a single coherent unit. As before, the remainder of the text remains organized anatomically, including chapters devoted to the mediastinum, airways, lungs, and pleura and chest wall, again reflecting our basic anatomic bias to differential diagnosis. In addition, separate chapters are once more targeted to the evaluation of focal lung disease and lung cancer. In distinction, a previous chapter devoted to pulmonary complications of AIDS has been deleted, reflecting the considerable advances that have occurred in the treatment of this disease. We have also made the judgment, however regretfully, to exclude any number of newer promising techniques, including, for example, the expanding field of functional imaging of the lungs, in order to keep this edition as a single volume devoted to in-depth analyses of current clinically relevant topics rather than superficial overviews.
As previously noted in the Preface to the Third Edition, it is the authors' continuing belief that accurate radiologic interpretation requires in-depth familiarity with the clinical context in which we practice rather than simple pattern recognition. Although this remains a truly daunting task, it is our hope that the current volume will again prove of value to all involved with clinical assessment of the entire gamut of diseases of the thorax.