Authors: A. James Barkovich, MD; Bernadette L. Koch, MD; and Kevin R. Moore, MD
Publisher: Elsevier – Amirsys – 1,056 pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani

This book has been written by 34 specialists in allied fields – bioengineering, fetal and neonatal neuroimaging, medical imaging, musculoskeletal radiology, neurology, neuroradiology, otorhinolaryngology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, radiology – from all over the United States, Austria, and Canada, who authored the chapters in the 18 sections of this book as outlined below.

  1. Brain
    1. Cerebral Hemisphere
    2. Sella / Suprasellar Region
    3. Pineal Region
    4. Cerebellum / Brainstem
    5. Ventricular System
    6. Meninges, Cisterns, Calvia, Skull Base
    7. Blood Vessels
    8. Multiple Regions, Brain
  2. Head and Neck
    1. Temporal Bone and Skull Base
    2. Orbit, Nose, and Sinuses
    3. Suprahyoid and Infrahyoid Neck
    4. Multiple Regions, Head and Neck
  3. Spine
    1. Craniovertebral Junction
    2. Vertebra
    3. Extradural Space
    4. Intradural Extramedullary Space
    5. Intramedullary Space
    6. Multiple Regions, Spine

It is for any healthcare professional who needs to look at images of the head, neck, spinal column and spinal cord of children; wants to see clinical presentations of affected patients; learn about the best sequences for imaging analysis, expected imaging sequences in both common and uncommon presentations, and imaging examples of key features.

You can access the entire contents of this book plus additional materials through Amirsys eBook Advantage. Do the following:

  1. Scratch off silver coating on the inside front cover of your book to get your license key
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    1. Existing users: log in to your account
    2. New eBook Advantage users: Register for a new account
    3. Register your title with this license key

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Here are some of the benefits of owning this book:

  • Meticulous updates throughout reflect advances in our understanding, reclassifications, and discoveries of entirely new disorders and groups of disorders
  • Comprehensive discussions of common and uncommon disorders of the pediatric nervous system
  • Hot topics covered include genetics and molecular pathways and common and uncommon disorders affecting the brain, head, neck, and spine of children
  • Heavily illustrated along with hundreds of annotated images
  • Bulleted and succinct text format distills essential information for fast and easy comprehension

This second edition has several modifications over the first one that was published in 2007. The authors write that their current understanding of some of the disorders written about in the previous edition has significantly changed. Furthermore, reclassified some disorders and discovered entirely new groups of disorders. They write:

“Changes are particularly profound in metabolic disorders and malformations; the molecular and genetic basis of many disorders has been revealed (in this edition) whereas other disorders have turned out to have etiologies far different than previously suspected.”

In each chapter you will find that the content is systematically organized with a standard format containing the same headings and subheadings. At the beginning of each chapter you will find Key Facts, containing these headings and material below each:

  • Terminology
  • Imaging
  • Top Differential Diagnoses
  • Pathology
  • Clinical Issues
  • Diagnostic Checklist

Most of the images are black-and-white scans, while some are in color. There are long, detailed captions next to each image. For example in first page of the chapter on Hydranencephaly, the caption of left-side color image goes: “Coronal graphic shows classic features of hydranencephaly. The cerebral hemispheres are nearly absent, but the thalami, brainstem, and cerebellum are intact. The falx cerebri appears to ‘float’ in the CSF-filled rostral cranial vault.”

Such systematic presentation of material makes it easier for you to study the disorders and diseases, and understand them more thoroughly. By looking at the images and reading the associated captions, you develop a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of each disorder.

This is an excellent textbook on the specific subject of neurological disorders of children that affect their mental, metabolic and physical functions.

 

Authors:

A James Barkovich, MD is Professor of Radiology, Neurology, Pediatrics, and Neurosurgery in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California San Francisco and at UCSF-Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, California.

Bernadette L. Koch, MD is Professor of Radiology and Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Associate Director of Radiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kevin R. Moore, MD is Pediatric Neuroradiologist at Intermountain Pediatric Imaging, and Vice-Chair of the Department of Medical Imaging at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.