Direct Diagnosis in Radiology Series

Brain Imaging: K. Sartor, S. Haehnel, and B. Kress. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2008, 307 pages, 338 illustrations, $59.95.

Head and Neck Imaging: U. Moedder, M. Cohnen, K. Andersen, et al. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2008, 270 pages, 180 illustrations, $59.95.

Spinal Imaging: H. Imhof, B. Halpern, A.M. Herneth, et al. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2008, 312 pages, 347 illustrations, $59.95.

In keeping with the increasing trend in radiology book publication, 3 new titles from Thieme dealing with neuroradiology present material in a staccato bulletlike manner. These 3 separate volumes, each in paperback form and just under 300 pages, are Brain Imaging (authors: Sartor, Haehnel, Kress), Head and Neck Imaging (authors: Moedder, Cohnen, Andersen, Engelbrecht, Fritz), and Spinal Imaging (authors: Imhof, Halpern, Herneth, Friedrick, Matzner, Mueller-Mang, Noebaurer-Hulnman, Prayer, Sommer, Wolf). These are part of the overall series, which also includes nearly equal-sized books on gastrointestinal, cardiac, breast, genitourinary, and pediatric radiology. Other titles in the series will come out later in 2008—musculoskeletal, genitourinary, interventional, vascular, and thoracic radiology.

These all follow the same format, with abbreviations defined in the front of the book, followed by approximately 90 of the most common diagnoses in each category. For example, under petrous bone, there are 9 diseases; under brain inflammation, there are 10 diseases; and under spine tumors, there are 19 diseases. The setup for each disease is as follows: There is a definition of the entity (etiology, pathogenesis), imaging signs (technique of choice, typical radiologic findings), clinical aspects of the disease, differential diagnosis, short reference list, and a classic image of the disease under consideration. So as just 1 example under cholesteotoma, one has at hand a listing of the typical structures eroded, what the CT/MR imaging findings are, what specific information the clinician wants to know, how such a patient may be treated, and what other diagnoses could be considered.

The main value of these books is to allow a quick visual review of common diagnoses in a volume that easily fits into one's lab coat. In this reviewer's opinion, these books cannot compete with the more richly illustrated Amirsys Inc (Salt Lake City, Utah) series, but nonetheless, for those who want a succinct review (with little in-depth discussion), these could be attractive. One cannot recommend that these be purchased by an individual, but they might be of value for a resident/fellow library.

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