Temporal Bone Imaging

E.G. Hoeffner, S.K. Mukherji, D. Ghandhi, D. Gomez-Hassan, S. Gujar, M. Ibrahim, H. Parmar, V. Phalke, D.J. Quint, A. Srinivasan, G.V. Shah, eds. New York: Thieme; 2008, 240 pages, 244 illustrations, $99.95.

This 240-page book is organized by descriptions of diagnoses that make for easy and informative reading. Edited by Drs. Hoeffner and Mukherji from the University of Michigan and with 8 of the 9 contributors from the same institution, the book is organized into 7 sections (Anatomy, External Auditory Canal, Inner Ear, Petrous Bone, Trauma, Postoperative Ear, and Miscellaneous). As one would expect, the imaging is predominately CT based with MR imaging included when appropriate to the diagnostic work-up (e.g, in tumor spread and infection).

There are 52 diagnoses described and illustrated, and that basically covers the major diseases and abnormalities one would expect to see in a busy neuroradiology practice. Each entity is described in a separate chapter, and each chapter follows basically the same format with separate, very short paragraphs on epidemiology, clinical features, pathology, treatment, imaging findings (CT and MR), differential diagnosis, and “Pearls.” The imaging is crisp and appropriate, and it properly describes the pearls.

What is helpful about this book is that the neuroradiologist can use it as a review related to major diseases of the temporal bone or if the neuroradiologist is given a puzzling case (or a not-so-puzzling case but one in which additional and succinct information can be accessed quickly), this book is very helpful. In particular, 1 area that this book covers quite nicely is the postoperative temporal bone, in which mastoidectomies, ossicular replacements, and cochlear implantation are described. For neuroradiologists who see few CTs of the temporal bone or for those in training who are beginning their rotations in neuroradiology, the descriptions and illustrations of the normal anatomy of the temporal bone are standard but valuable. Temporal Bone Imaging would be a valuable addition for any neuroradiology library (either personal or sectional).

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