Musculoskeletal MRI, 2nd ed.

C. Helms, N. Major, M. Anderson, P.E. Kaplan, and R. Dussault, eds. Saunders; 2009, 456 pages, 630 illustrations; $129.00.

Although aimed primarily at residents, fellows, and those involved with musculoskeletal (MSK) radiology, this second edition of Musculoskeletal MRI, written by Clyde Helms, Nancy Major, Mark Anderson, Phoebe Kaplan, and Robert Dussault has portions that would be of interest to neuroradiologists.

This reviewer's very first impression was here is a text that, unlike many subspecialty texts these days, can actually be lifted off the desk and held comfortably without risking a pulled muscle. It is compact and well illustrated and is designed to hit the highlights of diagnosis in MSK imaging. A neuroradiologist should not, therefore, expect to see much, for example, in terms of spinal tumors. These are very briefly described, and only a couple of examples are shown. However, in all fairness, the attempt here and throughout the book was to develop principles of interpretation, and the emphasis is greater on the other areas of MSK interest.

Areas in this book that are more pertinent to neuroradiology include an 11-page chapter on peripheral nerves, a 29-page chapter on bone marrow (with a sizeable number of images of the spine under various pathologic conditions), a 4-page chapter on the temporomandibular joint (the forgotten joint), and a solid chapter (50 pages) on the spine. In that chapter, protocols for scanning are included along with suggested standard normal reports for the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. This reviewer believes that this chapter would be a good beginning point for a young trainee to learn about the major issues in spine MR imaging.

This book can be confidently recommended to those who are first learning how to interpret MSK MR images (ideal for residents and fellows) and for those who deal with MSK on a routine basis. For the neuroradiologist, this could be a book borrowed from a colleague or signed out of the departmental library.

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