This series of yearly books on Advances in Neurotraumatology is being published under the auspices of the Scientific Committee of Neuro- traumatology of the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons. For some years neurotraumatology was perhaps too much looked upon as a secondary part of neurosurgery. But the constant increase of cases has provoked a renewal of interest all over the world, involving not only neurosurgeons but also any surgeon who has to take care of such patients. Each volume, in order to cover the whole of neurosurgery, will be concerned with a special topic, the various chapters of which being envisaged in detail, and followed by a practical "How to do it". Every volume will also contain chapters outside the envisaged topic regarding some up-to-date problems. The authors, chosen from various countries for their special competence, will try to offer an efficient contribution to the knowledge of neuro- traumatology, and also to present a bedside series of handy books helping those who tend these cases. The first volume will deal with "Extracerebral Collections", the second "Dorsal and Lumbar Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries", the third "Cerebral Contusions, Lacerations and Hematomas", and the next ones will continue to successively approach all the other neurotraumatological topics.