Overview of neuroimaging

Imaging plays an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of neurosurgical conditions. This chapter discusses the basic physical principles, applications, and limitations of the main imaging techniques used in neurosurgical practice, and highlights potential future directions of functional and molecular neuroimaging. Current conventional radiological methods allow demonstration of anatomical and macroscopic pathological features of disease with excellent sensitivity and resolution. Functional imaging methods that have enabled insight into a variety of physiological and pathological phenomena are also described, and are an important first step beyond anatomical imaging towards more precise characterization of the disease process. These methods however remain generally non-specific, demonstrating changes that are common endpoints of many possible pathological pathways. This chapter also covers current neuroradiology imaging modalities that are useful in neurosurgical practice, and focuses on the general usefulness and limitations of neuroradiological methods rather than the imaging manifestations of individual disease processes, which are discussed elsewhere in this book.