I would like to dedicate the third edition of our atlas to my very close and dear friend Dr. Andrea Casati, his wife Lucia and his children, Marco, Sophia and Matilde. Andrea tragically lost his life in April 2007 in an unfortunate indoor climbing accident. Andrea's contribution to regional anesthesia and to this book has been considerable. Everyone who had the privilege to either know him at a personal level or even interact with him professionally would agree that he was not only a very talented and productive regional anesthesiologist, but he was also an exceptional human being always available to his family and friends.

Despite his young age, Andrea greatly contributed to regional anesthesia. He authored and co-authored a considerable number of articles, reviews, and book chapters on all aspects of regional anesthesia, including unilateral spinal and epidural, and local anesthetic pharmacology, but his passion was really related to the study of peripheral nerve blocks. With Dr. Guido Fanelli, he helped organize the Italian School of Regional Anesthesia and developed the Italian Regional Anesthesia Study Group. He was not only an exceptional regional anesthesiologist, but also a beloved teacher and a passionate researcher. Andrea was always available to share his knowledge and embark on new research studies and new techniques. His last contribution to regional anesthesia was related to the use of ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks. He was a contributor to this atlas since the very first edition. Dr. Andrea Casati trained in Milan at San Raffaele Hospital. After his training, he remained in Milan for a couple of years before following his friend, mentor, and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Parma Hospital. Under Professor Guido Fanelli's leadership, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Intensive Care.

Andrea, please accept this atlas as a token of the love and respect that your friends and colleagues have for you. You brought enthusiasm, passion, friendship, and humility to everyone that you interacted with.