Journal of Clinical Imaging 27 (2003) 365 – 366
Book reviews
Spiral and Multislice Computed Tomography of the
Body
Mathias Prokop and Michael Galanski, Eds., New York, NY.
Thieme 2003, 1102 pages, 1972 illustrations, 332 tables,
USA$189.00
The reading of this book, representing the experience of
several Austrian, German and Dutch radiologists, will
result, without any doubt, in an enrichment of our knowl-
edge of CT of the body, and, understandably, it is easy to
share the enthusiasm shown by G.D. Rubin in his preface to
the book.
The first section, composed of seven chapters, deals
with all the general elements related to CT, spiral and
multislice: principles, image processing, preparation of the
patient, the use of contrast media scanning techniques,
radiation dosage, quality of the image, interventional
procedures and analysis of the obtained images. In the
following 18 chapters, the pathological processes involv-
ing the different organs of the body are reviewed. Each
chapter in enriched by tables, always very useful, empha-
sizing the different information and including all the new
technical modalities, such as screening the bronchial
carcinoma with low dose CT, the coronary arteries and
the vascular system. Furthermore, the significant quality
of the images, a good number of them in color, should be
pointed out.
Although the book has more than 1000 pages not
every topic can be discussed in depth, for instance, while
exhaustive is the review of the study of the heart and of
the arteries, somewhat limited is the discussion of the
surveillance of the postoperative lungs and colon –rectum.
However, this is a minor criticism, and the book reaches
its objective, by providing at this moment the book on
CT of the body to which all those dedicated to imag-
ing would refer, whether junior or senior radiologists.
The value of the book is also enhanced by 53 pages of
up-to-date references related to each chapter and to the
topic discussed.
This book, hence, is a success, and one must thank all the
authors for having put at our disposal such an excellent tool
for learning and for applying the correct imaging of the CT
of the body.
J.-N. Bruneton
doi:10.1016/S0899-7071(03)00176-1
0899-7071/03/$ – see front matter D 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Handbook of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Spine
Procedures
Alan L. Williams and F. Reed Murtaugh, Editors, Philadel-
phia, PA. Mosby, imprint of Elsevier Science 2002,
272 pages, 102 illustrations, USA$49.95
Introduction: This is a soft-cover, 272-page reference
guide for physicians performing minimally invasive thera-
peutic spine procedures. This is the first book of this kind by
radiologists. Though it is well detailed and reasonably
comprehensive, one should not feel confident enough to
perform any of these procedures after reading a chapter. This
book is designated by the authors only as a reference guide.
Content/text: There are 10 chapters of procedures from
14 contributors. Each chapter is divided into 10 sections: I.
Rationale/Clinical Indications; II. Contraindications; III.
Informed Consent; IV. Pertinent Anatomy; V. Equipment
and Supplies; VI. Sedation; VII. Procedure; VIII. Post
Procedure Care; IX. Reporting the Procedure; and X.
Coding. There is a suggested reading list for each chapter.
Each procedure is in outline presentation and is described
step by step. The text is generally well written and edited.
Images/legends: There are 102 black/white well-drawn
illustrations, and no X-ray images. The legends are clear
and appropriate.
References: There is a reading list of generally more
than 10 articles in each chapter with sparse citing of
references form this list.
Use: This handbook is a reference guide for radiology
fellows and those radiologists interested in performing
therapeutic spine procedures. It is also a good reference
for those just interested in how these procedures are done.
Comment: The strengths of this book are its general
coverage of most of the diagnostic and therapeutic proce-
dures for painful spinal disorders and the concise nature in
which it is presented.
It should have been helpful if the authors included a
section on the limitations of each technique, for example,
Chapter 2. Epidural Steroid Injections. Epidurals are one of
the most utilized blocks for chronic pain, and like most
blocks, they are not likely to work in the long run to relieve
pain due to significant root compression or progressive
spondylosis. It would also have been very helpful to know
how to choose patients appropriate for this procedure and
for those discussed in Chapter 2. Spinal Nerve Blocks, and
Chapter 4. Spinal Facet Blocks and Sacroiliac Joint Blocks.