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Show Journal of Newo- Ophthalmology 19( 4): 261- 262, 1999. © 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., Philadelphia Book Reviews Interventional Therapy in Acute Stroke, by Steven M. Davis, Geoffrey A. Donnan, James C. Grotta, and Werner Hacke. Blackwell Science, Maiden, MA, 1998. Type of book: This book is a multiauthored review of current interventions and strategies for the treatment of acuge ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Scope of book: This book provides an overview of current treatment for acute stroke useful for both medical and surgical specialists, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensivists, radiologists, and emergency physicians. Contents: The book consists of 12 chapters, with the first three devoted to stroke mechanisms, classification, and general management strategies. The remainder of the book is equally divided between medical management ( e. g., thrombolysis, neuroprotection) and surgical/ endo-vascular interventions ( e. g., decompressive craniectomy, hematoma evacuation, aneurysmal repair). Strengths: This book successfully blends the authors' wealth of clinical expertise and the growing body of data from recent clinical trials. General measures of acute stroke care are described clearly in the initial chapters, with appropriate references to the literature when available. The chapter on geographic stroke units is informative and often omitted from texts of this kind. The detailed recommendations on how to manage a potential organ- donor in Chapter 2 are also rarely seen in textbooks on stroke. Sections discussing controversial topics, such as indications for thrombolytic therapy or the use of heparin in ischemic stroke, are well balanced and well referenced. The chapters on reperfusion and neuroprotection are particularly strong. Each chapter is supplemented by numerous summary tables and imaging studies. The reproductions of computed tomographic, magnetic resonance and angiographic images are clear, helpful, and located in relevant sections of the text. Weaknesses: Like many multiauthored texts, the writing styles in this book vary significantly across chapters. Sections in some chapters are written in the first person, which also results in awkward transitions. Finally, the title of the book suggests that the primary emphasis is on surgical and endovascular interventional techniques; the book actually offers a much broader overview of stroke care that may leave some readers either pleasantly surprised or mildly disappointed. Recommended audience: This book will appeal to clinicians who care for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Medical students and residents will find this book useful Barrett Katz, M. D., M. B. A. because of the clear writing style and broad coverage of related topics. More experienced clinicians will enjoy the crisp review of the current literature. Critical appraisal: This book successfully achieves the authors' goal of underscoring the need for acute intervention in patients with stroke; it also succeeds in describing how to do it. Curtis Benesch, M. D. Department of Neurology University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York Clinical Neuroimmunology, edited by Jack Antel, Gary Birnbaum, and Hans- Peter Hartung. Blackwell Science, Inc., Maiden, MA, 1998. Type of book: This internationally multiauthored text addresses the interactions of the immune and nervous systems. Scope of book: This book is designed to provide information with regard to quickly evolving concepts and clinical applications of neuroimmunology. The editors went to foster interactions between basic scientists and clinicians, thereby advancing this emerging discipline. Contents: The book begins with a review of basic principles including autoimmunity, immune interactions within the nervous system, neural regulation of the immune system, viral- immune effects on the nervous system, and strategies of immunotherapy. The remainder of the book applies these concepts to neurologic disease and injury, divided into central nervous system ( CNS) and peripheral nervous system ( PNS) disorders. The CNS sections elucidate neurologic disorders with cellular immune- mediation as the underlying cause ( multiple sclerosis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis), as well as humoral immune- neural interactions ( paraneoplastic syndromes). Chapters are also devoted to infectious ( human immunodeficiency virus, human T- cell lym-photrophic virus type I, Lyme), neoplastic and CNS vas-culitic disorders. The PNS- directed discussions include acute and chronic inflammation, as well as antibody-mediated neuromuscular junction disorders. The book ends with chapters on inflammatory myopathies and how the immune response contributes to regeneration of tissues. Strengths: The text is uniformly organized despite multiple authors. It provides an excellent review of advanced concepts in immunology and makes use of cartoon diagrams to assist immunologically challenged 262 BOOK REVIEWS readers. Each chapter begins with a background of immune- mediated issues and pathogenesis and progresses to a clinical discussion including treatment modalities and their rationale. For the neuro- ophthalmologist, the chapter on multiple sclerosis provides an excellent perspective on the ongoing controversies related to the autoimmune pinnings of the condition. Of interest is a proposed mechanism explaining the possible long- term effect of intravenous corticosteroids on the evolution of MS. The discussions on the animal model of cell-mediated immune disease, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, have importance regarding the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. The book is current and well referenced. The chapter on CNS tumors exemplifies much of the book, beginning with an in-depth explanation of the molecular interactions between tumor cells and the immune system. This is followed by therapeutic modalities of the future including vaccination, immuno- gene therapy, and an addendum written near press time updating the author's hypothesis and including the most recent research into 1997. There is an excellent algorithm for the treatment of vasculitic neuropathies ( chapter 21), and the discussions of clinical entities uniformly contain treatment recommendations or references to comprehensive reviews. Weaknesses: This is an advanced text. For those not well versed in the terminology and the most recent molecular tools, the details found in some chapters can be daunting. As expected with a multiauthored text, the depth of immunologic science and clinical topics varies between topics. Recommended audience: This text is geared toward basic scientists and clinicians interested in gaining more information on this topic. It will be of interest mainly to neurologists treating patients with neuroimmunologic diseases. Critical appraisal: Most neuro- ophthalmologists will be drawn to the relevant and clinically oriented chapters. However, I found myself becoming more absorbed in some of the cutting- edge basic science discussions; the editors have fulfilled their goal of furthering interchange between basic and clinical scientists. This book serves as a foundation for understanding the coming decades of new immune- based therapies of neurologic disease. Steven Awner, M. D. Department of Ophthalmology SUNY at Buffalo Buffalo, New York Cancer of the Nervous System, edited by Peter McL. Black and Jay S. Loeffler. Blackwell Science, Inc., Cambridge, MA, 1997. Type of book: This is a multiauthored textbook, with more than 100 contributing authors and 11 section editors. The editors contribute to 2 of the 47 chapters. Scope of book: The book is designed to appeal to any practitioner caring for patients with cancer of the nervous system, and would appeal to the neuro- ophthalmic community as well. Contents: The text is divided into five sections: basic principles of diagnosis and treatment, benign tumors, malignant brain tumors, metastatic disease to the central nervous system, and basic science of tumors. The section on metastatic disease is only three chapters, and so the text has a clear emphasis on primary central nervous system tumors. Strengths: Many chapters are authored by respected experts in their subspecialties. Additionally, the chapters cover a broad array of topics and admirably include the psychosocial issues often overlooked in texts, yet so germane to the practitioner. The color plates in the center of the textbook are nicely done. The pathology slides are especially well done and illustrative. Weaknesses: Although comprehensive, the text is heavily weighted to primary brain tumors and gives less coverage of metastatic disease as well as the peripheral nervous system. There could also be more depth regarding the systemic complications of brain tumors and their treatment; the chapter on chemotherapy needs to be expanded in this regard. As with any multiauthored text, chapter styles differ. There is a paucity of intraoperative gross pathology color plates, which would have added an additional dimension to the text. Finally, the type of paper chosen for the text does not lend itself well to the black and white imaging quality; hence, some pictures lack clarity. Recommended audience: This text is best for practitioners who see patients with neurooncologic diseases. This would include ophthalmologists and neuro- ophthalmologists. It seems less likely to appeal to basic scientists except as an overview of clinical neurooncology. It would serve as an excellent reference text for review of specific topics; the index is extensive and easily allows particular topics to be located. There are no specific chapters dealing with neuro- ophthalmologic malignancies. Critical appraisal: Overall, this is an impressive, comprehensive neurooncology textbook that would be useful as a reference text but is too dense for " cover to cover" reading. For a neuro- ophthalmologist, the comprehensive scope of the text leaves only a minor percentage of the text directly related to that subspecialty. Use of the text for specific neuro- ophthalmic topics requires repeated referral to the index with much bouncing between chapters. However, it would serve a very useful function for the neuro- ophthalmologist who wants to review specific tumors, and their diagnosis and treatment. Richard Barbano, M. D., Ph. D. University of Rochester Rochester, New York J Neuro- Ophlhalmol, Vol 19, No. 4, 1999 |