MISSION STATEMENT BY THE EDITOR

There are numerous excellent textbooks of cardiothoracic surgery providing a wide overview of this topic, with detailed analysis of the pathologic, anatomic and physiologic conditions, evaluation of results, and recommendations for appropriate procedures. However, in our rapidly evolving field, certain textbook content may be obsolete by the time it eventually appears in print and soon becomes dated. The conventional textbook cannot utilize the enormous possibilities offered by electronic media and by the on-line environment. Furthermore, the essential part of any description, i.e. the actual technique of the operative procedure, so important in our field, usually represents only a small part of the textbook.

MMCTS is designed to fill this gap. It is not a textbook in the conventional sense, but a web-based repository of CT surgical techniques based on short text blocks and graphic descriptions by specialists, illustrated using multimedia with video clips (view with RealPlayer), schematics and photos of the various stages of a procedure. MMCTS provides hyperlinks to the key literature references, where the readers can gain additional insight into particular problems, and be led to original publications for more detailed and in-depth information. Each 'Procedure' ends with a critical meta-analysis of the literature, enabling the readers to assess the scientific relevance of the statements made in the text or in literature cited. MMCTS is fully integrated into the CTSNet journal collection, HighWire Press and is linked to the rest of the medical literature via CrossRef and Medline. At the end of each Procedure a 'Comments' section is opened, where interested and qualified readers can submit their own observations, critiques and even alternative techniques, which may not be known to the public at large.

MMCTS is an on-line product only. It will not appear in print but there will be the possibility for readers to print-off individual documents in PDF format. For the student, MMCTS provides multiple avenues of learning, independent of timetables or distance, with ready access to original literature references linking full text and illustrations. It can be accessed from different directions, with electronic indexing leading the readers to information contained in the various Sections. Hyperlinks - MMCTSLinks - to products described in the text lead the reader to the relevant industry homepages, which again give additional insight and facilitate the search for practical information and solutions.

The Editors hope to establish a dynamic database archive of techniques and knowledge, which will serve the serious student in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, trainees during their formative period and established specialists needing additional technical information. We hope you will both benefit from and enjoy using MMCTS.

Marko Turina, Editor-in-Chief