Neuroradiology: The Essentials with MR and CT

Neuroradiology: The Essentials with MR and CT

By Val M. Runge

Product Details

• Published on: 2014-11-26
• Binding: Paperback

This 230-page book authored by Drs Val M. Runge, Wendy R.K. Smoker, and Antonios Valavanis manages not only to cover the essential diagnoses in Neuroradiology in a succinct and effective manner, but also to cover a broad array of less common but still important entities.

The book is divided into 3 chapters reflecting the major areas in neuroradiology: brain, head and neck, and spine. While the chapters do not follow an identical format, each chapter is organized logically and presented efficiently, with the brain and spine chapters divided into subsections covering normal anatomy and major categories of disease (eg congenital, traumatic, degenerative, vascular, infectious, neoplastic, etc). The intervening head and neck chapter is organized by major anatomic region.

After a brief discussion of basic brain and neurovascular anatomy, the first chapter logically starts with a description of normal myelination, then moves to incidental and congenital lesions as well as syndromic conditions that may be encountered on neuroimaging studies. Common toxic and metabolic disorders are covered before transitioning to critically important topics of intracranial hemorrhage and herniation syndromes. The complexity of stroke imaging and stroke evolution is eloquently discussed, followed by a discussion of common dementias and vascular lesions. A variety of infectious and inflammatory conditions are reviewed, then common neoplastic entities. The chapter wraps up with a discussion of important cerebrospinal fluid disorders.

The second chapter on head and neck imaging encompasses the skull base, temporal bones, orbits, globe, visual pathway, paranasal sinuses, mandible, temporomandibular joint, nasopharynx, oral cavity and oropharynx, salivary glands, parapharyngeal space, larynx, and soft tissues of the neck. This is a tremendous amount of ground to cover, but the organization of the chapter by anatomic structure greatly facilitates discussion of common disease entities that may constitute part of the differential diagnosis by location. When appropriate, these anatomic regions of the head and neck are discussed by categories of the diseases affecting them. A focus on the most frequent and important diagnoses is maintained throughout the chapter, supported by numerous instructive cases.

The third chapter on spine imaging begins with a discussion of normal anatomy, and then adds a section on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) technique as a foundation for understanding normal and abnormal appearances of the spine. A discussion of common normal variants and incidental findings is followed by common congenital abnormalities of the spine. The topic of spinal trauma is covered with predominantly CT but also MRI correlation for soft tissue and spinal cord injury. Appropriately, degenerative diseases of the spine are covered in depth over a relatively large portion of this chapter with multiple illustrative images, followed by less common rheumatologic conditions of the spine. Vascular lesions of the spine, including dural arteriovenous malformations, are reviewed, as are infectious and inflammatory entities affecting the spine. Finally, common primary and secondary neoplastic disorders of the spine are discussed.

Radiographic images are of superb quality throughout each chapter and represent very characteristic examples of common and important disease processes. There is a very high image-to-text ratio in each chapter of the book, supporting the numerous disease entities covered in the text. The majority of images fall on or very close to the chapter text, adding to the readability of the text. Most images are, as expected, from CT and MRI examinations; however, the authors do present examples of advanced techniques such as MR perfusion, MR spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging, blood oxygen level-dependent functional MRI, and cine-phase contrast cerebrospinal fluid flow evaluation, as well as conventional angiographic and radiographic correlation when illustrative.

This compact book distills the vast amount of the literature and expertise of the authors in the field of Neuroradiology into a very accessible and understandable form. The book is well written and focuses on including clinically important and practical information needed in daily practice rather than trivia. It is clear that a substantial amount of editing went into paring down text into the tersest yet clearest form. By design, there are no references to the literature in this book to clutter the text, which could be a relative drawback for a reader wishing to better understand or disagree with the information in the book.

For trainees starting out in radiology, but also equally for those entering fields such as neurosurgery and neurology, this book provides an excellent introduction and remarkably comprehensive overview of what one needs to know in Neuroradiology. Physicians who have been in practice but would like a broad and updated overview of Neuroradiology including an introduction to more recent clinical imaging techniques would also likely find this book informative and helpful. Either as a study guide or as a quick reference using the index, this is a practical resource.

As with any attempt to cover a vast amount of information in a relatively small package, not everything can be included. The basic brain anatomy is reasonable in extent with supporting illustrations; however, I would have liked to see a similar amount of the basic head and neck and spine anatomy covered with supporting illustrations. As the authors point out, there are multiple other print and online resources for this, so it is not a critical shortfall of the book.

Overall, the authors have done an exceptional job covering the essentials, and this book is highly recommended to anyone who wants to gain an appreciation for the array of common and important diseases encountered in the field of Neuroradiology.