Preface

Important recent discoveries in the field of medical sciences and related disciplines have increased our understanding of cerebrovascular diseases. Cerebrovascular diseases are called by a variety of medical conditions that affect blood vessels in the brain and their hemodynamic state. The most common presentations are stroke, transient ischemic attack, vascular malformations (brain aneurysms), and arterial stenosis. Blood flows through the vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the brain, which are usually damaged or deformed in these disorders. If its flow is obstructed, by a blood clot that moves to the brain or by a narrowing or rupturing of blood vessels, the brain loses its energy supply, causing damage to brain tissues, causing sequelae of stroke. This spectrum of conditions involving brain vessels is of immense importance to public health, being the most common cause of disability and the second most frequent cause of death in Western society. Annually, more than 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke, out of which five million die and another five million are permanently disabled. Technological advances in new medical therapies (calcium therapies in target vessels), advances in neurointerventionist treatment (endovascular therapies and new surgical approaches), and innovative approaches in the treatment of neurorehabilitation have strongly revolutionized the neurobiological basis of neurovascular diseases by a measure of results. The adequate correlation between central nervous system injuries and their clinical characteristics with management and results directed at neurorehabilitation represents the basis of personalized medicine, a promising perspective to explain the different individual responses to treatment and improve the current quality of care.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of cerebrovascular diseases, as well as new information on each important related topic. This edition of the book was divided into seven sections, covering all the main aspects of cerebrovascular diseases, including Introduction (stroke load), Pathophysiology, Hemodynamics, Diagnosis, Management, Repair, and Healing. These are distributed in 18 chapters designed to assist the reader in self-examination to complete each topic. Each chapter simply represents the opinion of the authors through a particular effort to identify and separate the best of their knowledge. Although generally accepted concepts of new or controversial material have been developed, this book has been designed as a comprehensive review of cerebrovascular diseases, providing a reference source for professionals or trainees, doctors, and clinicians, all interested in cerebrovascular diseases.

Finally, I would very much like to acknowledge our achievements and to thank first of all the authors without whom this edition would not be possible. Also, I would

like to thank to Dr. Ahmad, Dr. Abdullahi, and Dr. Agrawal for co-editing this project, and to Ms. Ivana Spajic, Petra Svob, Sara Bacvarova, and Sandra Maljavac who did a superb job in developing this volume to its current standard.
