During recent years, major advances in surgical techniques, diagnostic methods, anesthesia and adjunctive treatment in the care of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage have been achieved. Nevertheless, the overall outcome of patients with SAH cannot be regarded as satisfactory. The first part of the book concentrates on the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying vasospasm and edema, the principal causes of poor outcome. Recent progress in the field of membrane lipid metabolism has allowed the problem to be approached from an entirely new perspective. The possible participation of free radicals,...