Radiology Oral Board Review: A Keyword Approach

Kristen Freestone, ed. Elsevier; 2005, 592 pages, 10 illustrations, $69.95.

If one had in his or her radiology residency program an ambitious, compulsive, and copious note taker, and if that resident organized the notes according to specialty areas, a book like this would be the result. Snippets of information are presented in a staccato-like fashion; however, with no images or illustrations, one wonders about the educational value of such a product. The editor indicates that this publication is well suited for preparation for the oral boards in radiology, but this reviewer doubts that. The book may help with the written boards, but it will not serve as a primary vehicle for oral boards preparation. Topics of interest are followed by summary points on each entity. Most descriptions are adequate; other descriptions are too brief to be of great value. This book could be useful in the setting of fourth-year residents, showing one another cases as they prepare for the oral board examinations and using the information listed under each diagnosis to elicit more details on the entity shown. It certainly is not a book that will be read from cover to cover, but this might be a publication for a departmental library to purchase, as it may be a helpful adjunct for residents preparing for the written board examinations.

Radiology Review: Radiologic Physics

Edward L. Nickoloff, ed. Elsevier; 2005, 272 pages, 113 illustrations, $59.95.

As the amount of material in radiologic physics that residents are required to know for their written board examinations grows, the need expands for straightforward, easily digestible material in physics. With this soft-cover publication, Dr. Nickoloff presents the reader with 21 chapters covering the properties and production of x-rays and their biologic effect on matter; the characteristics of x-ray tubes, filters, collimators, grids, and screens; film properties; computers; digital radiography; radiation biology and safety; mammography; fluoroscopy; computed tomography; magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasound; and nuclear medicine. What makes this book useful is the manner in which the material is presented. Specifically, in each chapter the basic concepts are clearly described with good tabular and graphic material, followed by a series of multiple-choice questions. Answers to questions are then provided in the last portion of each chapter with succinct explanations of the material.

Not only would this book serve as an excellent source of information to prepare for the physics board examinations, but it could be used by all practicing radiologists who desire a straightforward and clear review of the important aspects of radiation physics.

Spinal Instrumentation Surgical Techniques

Daniel H. Kim, Alexander R. Vaccaro, and Richard G. Fessler. Thieme Medical Publishers; 2006, 1330 pages, 1103 illustrations, $299.95.

In a large (1330 pages) and complete textbook, Drs. Kim, Vaccaro, and Fessler have gathered in one volume the contributions of 239 authors who discuss and richly illustrate with plain radiographs, computed tomographs, magnetic resonance images, drawings, and photographs the varied aspects of spine instrumentation. With the increasing popularity of instrumented fusions, intradiskal devices, and new prosthetic material, the radiologist is frequently presented with hardware and constructs with which he or she is unfamiliar. With this exhaustive and complete publication, it would seem that virtually every system one would encounter on plain radiographs or on computed tomographs is covered.

In brief, the book is divided into 12 sections: Craniocervical Junction (7 chapters); Anterior Cervical Spine (31 chapters); Posterior Cervical Spine (31 chapters); Cervicothoracic Junction (5 chapters); Anterior Thoracic and Thoracolumbar Junction (20 chapters); Posterior Thoracic and Thoracolumbar Junction (16 chapters); Anterior Lumbar Spine (15 chapters); Posterior Lumbar Spine (33 chapters); Lumbosacral Junction and Sacrum (5 chapters); Allografts/Synthetics (7 chapters); and a miscellaneous section (3 chapters, including the very last chapter on Image-Guided Spinal Surgery). Clearly with 166 chapters and an estimated 8-pound payload, this is neither a book to read cover to cover or one to be carried about. Nonetheless, with its excellent drawings, detailed surgical descriptions, comments on surgical complications, and the wide-ranging imaging of instrumentation, this is a book that should be available in a department of radiology where imaging service is provided to a high volume of orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgery.

BOOKS RECEIVED

Adrenaline and the Inner World: An Introduction to Scientific Integrative Medicine. David S. Goldstein, ed. Johns Hopkins University Press; 2006, 328 pages, 49 illustrations, $65.

Motor Control and Learning. Mark Latash, ed. Springer; 2006, 170 pages, 100 illustrations, $29.

Polyomaviruses and Human Diseases. Nasimul Ahsan, ed. Springer; 2006, 387 pages, 79 illustrations, $169.