It is, of course, a real challenge to summon together an International Sym­ posium in and around the Brain Stem and Third Ventricle. Up to this mo­ ment the various experiences and papers on this subject were distributed throughout the world literature, making it very difficult for someone in­ terested in the matter to have access to the actual state of knowledge. Therefore I believe such a meeting was long overdue and is a considerable attempt to open closed doors for present and future ambitious neurosurgi­ cal activities. After succeeding in previous symposiums of similar interest in Hanno­ ver, it was obvious that Prof. Madjid Samii and his coworkers took the in­ itiative of organizing such a meeting, bringing together - in the pure sense of the word - Neurosurgeons with Anatomists, Neurologists, Neuro­ physiologists, Neuroradiologists, ENT-, Maxillofacial-, Stereotactic-, and Radiosurgeons as well as other colleagues. One contribution after the other followed, from the basic sciences up to the operative management con­ sidering very new and actual concepts. Through the application of new microsurgical techniques and the incorporation of new understanding for the many problems afflicting the midline of the eNS, and based on a growing closer cooperation between the various disciplines, a wide field has opened up which concerns us all.