Abstract
The growing interest in emergency radiology has generated several new books recently. In spite of this, there is need for a book between introductory books and more comprehensive textbooks, i.e. a book that serves as a practical guide with abundant cases with good quality images. Alexander B. Baxter has a longtime clinical and teaching experience in a busy trauma and emergency imaging section at the New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital medical centers, so the background of a new book is more than promising.
This book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to emergency imaging with general information on working conditions and reporting on emergency department, a brief introduction to CT, radiation dose in different imaging studies, and finally aspects on the use of contrast media. This chapter provides a good stepladder for those entering into the fascinating world of emergency radiology.
This first chapter is then followed by six chapters of classic organ-specific imaging in a “top-to-toe” manner. Each chapter begins with an imaging approach to a corresponding anatomic area, anatomic checklist and imaging protocols (usually CT), pertinent anatomy, and clinical presentation and differential diagnosis. These are presented in a very succinct and easy-to-read way. The last, but no means the least, chapter is of pediatric emergency imaging combining key imaging findings in most common emergency conditions.
This book is abundant in images that are of good or very good quality. The majority of images are plain radiographs or CT images. This is understandable as the two imaging modalities are still the cornerstone of emergency imaging. There are, however, both MRI and US images available in proper context, and a few color Doppler images on ovarian and testicular diseases are also included. The format is useful for self-study and review as images (usually four to six) are presented on the left and the text and figure legends are on the right. A more detailed discussion is presented for 232 topics. These are well selected and represent the most common entities that present to the emergency department. The reproduction of images has been successful in the majority of cases. However, sometimes the findings are hard to depict, such as the focal cortical defect in Figure 7.40e. In general, there are no explanatory arrows or lines on images. This apparently deliberate and slightly unconventional decision is logical, as adding arrows would interfere with self-study and review.
As in both emergency imaging and medicine, the spectrum of medical conditions and therefore the load of information are enormous, making special requirements for those teaching the subjects or producing teaching material. The author of this book has succeeded exceptionally well in this demanding task, as the text is clear, concise, and straightforward without any redundancy. Therefore, it is justified to say that this book serves as a practical guide, just as it says on its title.
This book has no references, at least not in its printed version. The choice of not having any is rather a peculiar one, and I certainly would have liked to have some selected references of more comprehensive textbooks as well as review papers. These references could have easily been placed after each topic so that an enthusiastic reader could have access to more detailed information.
In summary, this book is highly recommended reading for radiology residents entering their on-call service as well as to any radiologist who wish to refresh their knowledge in emergency imaging.