The human venous system has, in the past, not alwaysattracted the same attention and interest from radiologists as the arterial system. Nevertheless, some of the pathologic conditions of the venous system are either frequently seen in daily practice such as varicosis of the lower extremity, or may relate to more severe and even life-threatening conditions,for instance deep venous thrombosis or liver venous pathology. However,enormous progress has been achieved during the past decade in the field of duplex and color Doppler imaging necessitating an update in our knowledge of these techniques. For both reasons, a volume specifically dealing with duplex and color Doppler ima­ ging of the venous system was considered an appropriate addition to the series Medical Radiology - Diagnostic Imaging. I would like to thank Prof. Mostbeck for his outstanding performance as the editor of this work. I would like to congratulate him and the many contributing authors, all renowned experts in the field, on their comprehensive coverage of the different topics, the up-to-date contents and the superb illustrations. I stronglybelievethat this bookwill encounter the same success as previous volumes published in this series.