Clinical Radiology (1990) 42, 145 146

Book Reviews

Orthopaedic Radiology Pattern Recognition and Differential Diagnosis. By Peter Renton. Martin Dunitz, London, 1990. 384 pp., 600 figs. £49.95.

This is an elegant book describing the patterns and signs seen in plain film examination of orthopaedic and rheumatological disorders. This approach, originally used by Dr George Simon, has been copied by a number of authors. It results in individual conditions being described under several different headings. Al though leading to some repetition, this is probably an aid to learning and it gives ample opportunity to display several examples o f common conditions. Spinal degenerative disease is not covered and there is no mention of transient synovitis of the hip. I would have preferred expansion of the section on different methods of assessing bone age with comment on their relative merits. Some CT and scintigraphic images refine the plain film appearances but there is no mention of ul t rasound or M R I even when they are the technique of choice. There are seven separate entries for avascular necrosis without mention of MRI. References are not used but the list of suggested reading is sound even though some of the volumes are out of print. In the main, the illustrations are of good quality and represent their points with only one or two lapses in reproduction. One scintigraphic image is not interpretable and a few plain films are murky. The use of pairs o f films is excellent. For example an osteoporotic spine is shown before and after vertebral collapse. Lists ideal for MCQ learning are scattered throughout the book, they are succinct and very useful. Its compact size is reassuring and the book should prove popular with those preparing for higher exams and with anyone whose training is rusty.

D. J. Wilson

A Colour Arias of the Skull. By B. K. B. Berkovitz and B. J. Moxham. Wolfe Medical Publications, Ipswich, 1989. 112 pp. £25.00.

This short but quite detailed atlas consists of colour photographs of a dry skull, with corresponding labelled radiographs and line drawings. There is a short accompanying descriptive text, and a list of related muscles and their at tachments. Each normal aspect of the skull is dealt with in turn, including the intracranial appearances and the paranasal sinuses, and there is a separate section on the neonatal skull. Following these there are individual descriptions of labelled photographs of the disarticulated bones of the skull, and a detailed section on dental anatomy, both in development and in maturity.

The quality o f illustration and labelling is excellent, and there is little that is not completely clear: one might perhaps question whether a single temporal bone section achieves anything in teaching the student the anatomy of this complex structure, particularly as the plane of the section is not stated. I rather doubt whether the non-illustrated descriptions of muscles and their at tachments will achieve very much for the reader. The level of detail in the section on dental ana tomy is slightly too great, a little out of proport ion to that of the remainder of the skull (the same authors have produced an atlas specifically dealing with oral anatomy). Overall, however, the work is well balanced.

The authors ' aim is said to be an at tempt to provide a substitute for the study of actual human skeletal material, which is increasingly hard to obtain. In this respect it is presumably aimed at the ana tomy student, whose needs it should serve quite well, though hopefully supplementing rather than replacing the study of anatomical specimens. For the radiologist, the balance of pure anatomical and radiological material is not entirely appropriate, but again one can see a use as a substitute for the departmental dry skull. It is an attractive book for occasional reference, and while not ideal for the reference shelves of the X-ray department,, it may nevertheless find a place, as its cost is very reasonable, particularly in view of the excellent quality of illustration.

T. Powell

Radiology of the Esophagus. By M. S. Levine. Harcourt Brace Jovano- vich, Philadelphia, 1989. 373 pp. £64.00.

Ignor Laufer in his Foreword, notes that this volume inaugurates a new series in gastrointestinal radiology and what a splendid inauguration this is. He also states that now that the value of radiologic study of the gastro-intestinal tract is under attack (from endoscopic quarters), it is

more important than ever that radiologists refine their technique to obtain max imum possible yield from their examinations. Marc Levine shows us in this book just what can be achieved. He has written most of the chapters himself and the great majority of these relate to barium studies of the oesophagus. These are virtually all performed by double contrast technique; a point emphasized throughout . The book is not entirely dedicated to contrast examinations and it contains a very good chapter by Drs Halvorsen and Thompson on CT and MRI of the oesophagus. Likewise, guest authors have also produced more 'special- ist' chapters on the pharynx and paediatric oesophagus. The result ofatl this must be one o f the most comprehensive books on radiology of the oesophagus ever produced. The text is easy to read and complements the high quality radiographs. It is thoroughly referenced and details literally every known oesphageal pathology.

Having said all this, your reviewer did feel a slight nagging doubt is it too late? Is this cathedral of a book a testament to a dying technique? The answer has to be a resounding no. For a start I would suspect that many endoscopists (myself included) would be unaware of the signifi- cance of a number of pathologies demonstrated. Secondly, there is really no substitute for the grand 'overview' of the oesophagus given by a bar ium swallow, as opposed to the relatively limited information afforded by a forward viewing endoscope. Thirdly, mucosal detail can be so well shown (as demonstrated here) that there is virtually no need to examine it further, unless for biopsy purposes.

There is no doubt that Dr Levine has produced an encyclopaedic work which is both a joy to read as well as to dip into for reference purposes. He has set a very high s tandard for the other issues to follow, but if they do so it will be a remarkable series indeed. Highly recommended.

A. Freeman

Chest Radiographic Analysis. By N. Blank. Churchill Livingstone, USA, 1989. 608 pp. 780 figs. £95.00.

This is an excellent, well-written and well produced textbook. The book does not claim to be a comprehensive text of diseases of the chest, but what it covers it does very well. Each chapter has a short summary followed by an atlas section with well-chosen and excellently reproduced examples of various abnormalities. The text is easy to read and the illustrations, which include CT and MRI scans, demonstrate the various points clearly. References are provided at the end o f the text section of each chapter.

The author states in his preface that the book is organized along 'How-to ' lines and the contents have an individual style which sets the book apart from many other texts an advantage o f being a single author book.

The book is aimed at trainees in radiology and chest medicine but Will be of value to consultants in both specialities. The book is not cheap but in the reviewer's opinion, it is extremely good value for money. It should find a place in every X-ray department library and I suspect that its easy style and high quality illustrations will ensure its addition to many personal collections.

D. H. Carr

Practical Color Arias of Sectional Anatomy. By E. A. Lyons. Raven Press, New York 1989. 320 pp. $70.00.

Another atlas of sectional anatomy? The au thor-of this small volume is a Professor of Radiology and

Lecturer in Ana tomy at the University of Manitoba. He has produced a work with a simple format: on facing pages are shown a colour photograph of a cadaver section opposite a line diagram of the same section with anatomical structures labelled. Serial body sections, 1 cm thick, are presented in the transverse (chest, abdomen, female pelvis, male pelvis), parasagittal (chest, male abdomen and pelvis, female pelvis, abdominal aortic aneurysm) and coronal (male chest, abdomen and pelvis) planes. The atlas is intended as a reference for radiologists and clinicians interpreting sectional imaging techniques, and for medical students learning anatomy.

Having browsed through this book, questions started to arise in m y mind. How did the author obtain a supply o f frozen h u m a n cadavers? I tried not to think about cold Canadian winters . . . . How relevant are