[Fusion of data. Multimodality in neurological imaging]

The development of tomographic imaging methods, which provide anatomical and functional information in a digital form, has transformed the approach to the central nervous system. Patient management is now frequently based on fusion of data from the same or different modalities, which potentiates the performance of each technique. These fusions were initially performed manually on film supports, but are now increasingly performed by consultation stations which process digital data bases. In view of the increasing demands for data fusion, it has become necessary to develop, in parallel with these new techniques, image transmission networks and visualisation stations on which reconstructions and fusions are performed. Improvements in software should facilitate acquisition techniques which should increasingly resemble standard techniques. The logistic applied must also be as simple as possible in order to be widely implanted and easy to use.