It is a great privilege to introduce this book devoted to the current and future roles in research and clinical practice of another exciting new development in MRI: Diffusi- weighted MR imaging. This new, quick and non-invasive technique, which requires no contrast media or i- izing radiation, offers great potential for the detection and characterization of disease in the body as well as for the assessment of tumour response to therapy. Indeed, whereas DW-MRI is already ? rmly established for the study of the brain, progress in MR techn- ogy has only recently enabled its successful application in the body. Although the main focus of this book is on the role of DW-MRI in patients with malignant tumours, n- oncological emerging applications in other conditions are also discussed. The editors of this volume, Dr. D. M. Koh and Prof. H. Thoeny, are internationally well known for their pioneering work in the ? eld and their original contributions to the l- erature on DW-MRI of the body. I am very much indebted to them for the enthusiasm and engagement with which they prepared and edited this splendid volume in a record short time for our series Medical Radiology - Diagnostic section.

Principles and Background: Principles of DWI as Applied to Body Imaging

Optimisation of Technique for Body Imaging
Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis: Image Display and Interpretation
Non-Oncological Applications in the Body: MR Neurography: Imaging of the Periperheral Nerves
Evaluation of Organ Function
Diffuse Liver Disease
Oncological Applications in the Body: Tumour Detection
Tumour Characterisation
Assessment of Treament Response to Chemoradiation Treatment
Assessment of Treatment Response to Minimally Invasive Image-Guided Therapy
Evaluating Metastatic Bone Disease and Marrow Infiltration
Whole Body Diffusion-Weighted Imaging with Background Suppression (DWIBS)
Future Developments: Multifunctional Assessment Using MRI: A Look Into the Future
Standardisation and Quality Assurance: Consensus View
Subject Index
List of Contributors.