Editors: Jeffrey S. Ross, MD; Kevin R. Moore, MD; Lubdha M. Shah, MD; and Cheryl Petersilge, MD
Publisher: Amirsys | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins – 600+ pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani

This is an excellent book if the only criterion for excellence were usefulness as a source of reference. It is chockfull of information presented primarily in easy-to digest, bullet-point format with hundreds of images and detailed captions.

But assessing its value based on other criteria makes it a must-have resource for all those whose practice or studies involve the craniovertebral junction, referred to as CVJ.

Some of the other criteria that make this book a standout are: its systematic organization and detailed presentation of material, its excellent illustrations including full-color detailed drawings, and its compact and consistent outlining of each section that saves the reader a lot of time.

This book is especially valuable for neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedists, orthopedic surgeons, and radiologists, to name some of the specialists that come immediately to mind. It can be used not only by established practitioners, but also by fellows, residents, and medical students.

To save you time and effort in determining if this is a book for you, we give you below an outline of the subjects you will find in it:

  • Introduction and Overview
  • Congenital Conditions
    • Bony Variations
    • Diagnoses
  • Genetic Conditions and Syndromes
  • Trauma
  • Degenerative Conditions
  • Infectious / Inflammatory Conditions
  • Tumors and Tumor-Like Lesions  
    • Extradural
    • Intradural / Extramedullary
    • Intramedullary
    • Miscellaneous
  • Vascular Conditions
    • Vascular Variations
    • Vascular Lesions
  • Devices and Instrumentation
    • Regional Surgical Approaches
    • Surgical Complications
  • Differential Diagnoses

You can access the entire contents of this book online and other information with these steps:

  1. Scratch off the silver coating on its inside front cover to reveal the license key
  2. Go to http://ebooks.amirsys.com* online
    1. Existing users: login to your account
    2. New users: register or a new account

(Users outside the U.S. need to choose “other” for State)

  1. Register your title with this license key

(You may need to log out and log back in to see your new eBook in your list of registered titles. * This website is for individual use only. For multiple users and for technical assistance, email: [email protected])

With your Amirsys eBook Advantage, you have these features available to you:

  • Searchable content
  • Expanded diagnostic tips and references
  • Additional annotated images

The editors and authors write that the CVJ is a “complex borderland region” that has “its own unique nomenclature, embryology, anatomy, vasculature, biomechanics, and pathology.” In addition, they write that the surgical techniques used in this area are distinctive.

This book provides the following to you in a nutshell:

  • Basic anatomy of the CVJ region
  • Technical underpinnings
  • Detailed, specific diagnoses, including: congenital, degenerative, genetic, infectious, inflammatory,  trauma, tumor, and vascular pathologies
  • Surgical approaches, with potential complications
  • Important features and findings (presented in boxes at the beginning of each chapter
  • Differential diagnoses, including those for lesions of specific regions of the CVJ

This is an outstanding book on the craniovertebral junction.

 

Editors:

Jeffrey S. Ross, MD is a specialist in neuroradiology in Barrow Radiological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kevin R. Moore, MD is a specialist in pediatric neuroradiology in Primary Children’s Medical Center at University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lubdha M. Shah, MD is Associate Professor of Radiology in the Division of Neuroradiology at University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Cheryl Petersilge, MD is Clinical Professor of Radiology in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Contributors:

Hank Baskin, MD
Susan I. Blaser, MD
Bryson Borg, MD
Julia Crim, MD
Nancy J. Fischbein, MD
Christine M. Glastonbury, MBBS
Anne G. Osborn, MD, FACR
C. Douglas Philips, MD, FACR
Karen L. Salzman, MD, FACR