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Show BOOK REVIEWS Section Editor: Steven A. Newman, MD Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, 8 th Edition Allan H. Ropper, MD, and Robert H. Brown, MD, DPhil. McGraw- Hill Medical, New York, 2005. ISBN: 0- 07- 141620- X, $ 132.00. Scope: This is a welcome update of the already famous neurology textbook previously written by the eminent neurologists Raymond Adams and Maurice Victor. The book is divided into 6 parts and includes 58 chapters. Like its previous edition, it is remarkably clear and practical. Whether you read it cover to cover ( 1,331 pages), topic by topic ( 6 parts), or disease by disease ( 58 chapters), you will gather useful information. Strengths: After 8 editions, this book is well polished. It reads well and covers everything you may want to know in the field of clinical neurology. This very detailed textbook teaches how to think and approaches neurologic disorders by symptoms and signs and by disorders. Weaknesses: Since its first edition was published in 1977, the text and contents have been very well updated. However, very few figures and diagrams were added and yet it remains very dense ( 1,331 pages packed with text in a small font). This book is not for those who need a quick answer to a question. Recommended Audience: Neurology residents and practicing neurologists may want to own a copy of this classic textbook. It covers all aspects of general neurology and will be valuable at all levels of training. Critical Appraisal: This is one of the classic neurology textbooks. Originally written by some of the best teachers in neurology, it has been updated by another generation of outstanding teachers. Valerie Biousse, MD Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia Fundamentals of Neurologic Disease Larry E. Davis, MD, with Molly K. King, MD, and Jessica L. Schultz, MD. Demos Medical Publishing, Inc., New York, 2005. ISBN: 1- 888799- 84- 6, $ 29.95. Scope: This is an introductory textbook intended for medical students and beginning residents who are interested in learning the basic principles of neurology and understanding common neurologic diseases. The beginning chapters review the basic approach to a patient with a neurologic problem, emphasizing how to use the history and neurologic examination to localize a patient's symptoms. Key elements of the neurologic examination and a brief introduction to common neurologic tests are discussed. Subsequent chapters are organized along the neuro-axis from muscle to cerebral cortex and emphasize the common features of groups of diseases that occur in these locations. Selected diseases that affect these areas are then discussed in more detail. Later chapters are organized around diseases that have a common pathophysiology. Specific diseases are discussed in more depth. Strengths: This is a concise and easy- to- read textbook that emphasizes fundamental neurologic principles and common diseases. It is well organized with clear diagrams and helpful tables. It can be read from cover to cover in a short period of time. Weaknesses: There are minimal references. Many diseases and disease processes are left out. Recommended Audience: Medical students, beginning residents, and practicing physicians with minimal knowledge of neurologic principles and disease processes should find this book useful. Critical Appraisal: This is an excellent introductory textbook that will be especially useful to medical students rotating through a neurology service. Dean M. Cestari, MD Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Harvard Medical School, Boston Massachusetts Localization in Clinical Neurology, 5th Edition Paul W Brazis, MD, Jose C. Masdeu, MD, PhD, and Jose Biller, MD, FACP, FAAN, FAHA. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 7817- 9952- 2, $ 169.00. Scope: This is the fifth edition of one of the most popular books in clinical neurology. Since the first edition appeared nearly 20 years ago, this book has been within arm's length of most neurology trainees. If localization is nearly everything in neurology- and it is- then this book has it 246 File name: wno200169.3d Book Reviews J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2007 covered. Standard neurologic textbooks deal with localization in passing; this one moves it front and center. The three authors, who have been in on all five editions, are all noted neurologists. Paul Brazis, a neuro-ophthalmologist at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, is the lead author. His coauthors are stroke experts Jose Masdeu, University of Navarra in Spain, and Jose BiUer, chair of neurology at Loyola University. The fifth edition expands on previous editions largely with the addition of more schematic illustrations and references. After an opening chapter that covers the principles of neurologic localization, each chapter is devoted to a region of the nervous system ( peripheral nerves, spinal roots, spinal cord, cranial nerves, brainstem, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebrum). A description of relevant anatomy is followed by a listing of the localizing features. Strengths: The finesse of the authors is in highlighting and explaining the localizing features. For example, in the chapter on visual pathways, the author ( undoubtedly Paul Brazis) describes the localization associated with various visual field defect patterns. In the chapter on the ocular motor system, lesions are associated with each segment of the third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerves. Remarks are amply supported by references- trustworthy and up- to- date. The more difficult issues are illustrated with schematic diagrams. Weaknesses: When material is organized and presented according to location of the lesion, the reading gets a bit dry. It is rather like learning a language entirely by studying grammatical rules. The reference lists are still loaded with some of the citations from the original editions, which are now out of date and not as valuable. The description of very rare causes sometimes clogs the text. Recommended Audience: This book will be useful to anyone who deals with neurologic disease and especially to neuro- ophthalmologists with casual training in neurology. Critical Appraisal: When they launched the first edition of this book more than 20 years ago, the authors were onto something in recognizing that the fundamental quest in neurology is to localize the lesion. With keen scholarship, they have pulled together the relevant information from their extensive experience in examining patients and in reading the neurologic literature. It is no surprise that trainees in neurology have embraced each edition. Coverage is broad and diagnostic nuggets are plentiful. This fifth edition is even better than the fourth. Jonathan D. Trobe, MD University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Cranial Nerves: Functional Anatomy Stanley Monkhouse, MA, MB, PhD. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2006. ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 521- 61537- 2; ISBN- 10: 0- 521- 61537- 2; $ 50.00. Scope: This is a pocket- sized compilation of anatomic, functional, and clinical notes on the cranial nerves written by a senior anatomist. The book's 140 small pages are separated into an introductory section surveying overall cranial nerve organization and anatomic and functional basics such as nuclei, ganglia, and brainstem organization and then 5 sections divided by function: 1) chewing and facial sensation; 2) pharynx and larynx, swallowing, and phonation; 3) autonomic components, taste, and smell; 4) vision and eye movements; and 5) hearing and balance. In each chapter, the main anatomic features of each nerve are followed by a few common clinical " pearls" and a few details of clinical testing. Some tables are provided, especially in the introductory portion, as are many simple line drawings throughout the remainder of the text. As indicated in the author's acknowledgments, this book grew from notes written in the process of teaching medical and dental students. The notes were first published in a condensed form in the author's previously published clinical anatomy textbook. Unlike previous approaches to this subject, this book does not approach the cranial nerves in order by number, nor does it approach them in a purely embryologic or evolutionary fashion. Instead, it considers the cranial nerves in functional units, " encountering them much as would an ingested morsel of food." Simple clinical relevance is added to " lend spice" to the process. Strengths: The book is short, portable, and to the point. The line diagrams are clear. Weaknesses: Simplification, generalization, and even a few inaccuracies are inevitable in a book of this size and scope, especially as regards the clinical notes and the methodologies of testing the cranial nerves. Recommended Audience: This book was written for students of medicine, dentistry, and speech therapy, but it could be useful for practicing physicians, dentists, and other health care providers involved in the clinical examination of the head and neck. It is not meant to replace textbooks and basic courses of functional anatomy but rather is meant to be a quick reminder. Critical Appraisal: This is a worthwhile guide to the functional anatomy of the cranial nerves approached in an unorthodox fashion by a seasoned anatomist and teacher who never loses sight of clinical relevance. 247 J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2007 Book Reviews Nancy J. Newman, MD Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia Clinical Neuropathology: Text and Color Atlas Catherine Haberland, MD. Demos Medical Publishing, LLC, New York, 2007. ISBN- 13: 978- 1- 888799- 97- 2, $ 89.95. Scope: This is a 324- page textbook and atlas that covers principles and major categories of neuropathologic disease. It is meant to occupy a spot this side of Greenfield's Neuropathology, a massive two- volume work. Strengths: Authored by a physician certified in pathology and clinical neurology, the book is extremely well- written and concise. It incorporates up- to- date pathogenetic thinking based on recent developments in molecular biology. The illustrations are plentiful, beautiful, and easily decoded with well- crafted legends. Weaknesses: Some topics are given little or no attention, a trade- off that the reader readily accepts in return for a highly accessible source. Recommended Audience: Medical students and clinicians who deal with aspects of the nervous system should find this textbook useful. Critical Appraisal: This book is an eminently readable source in a field that is unapproachable for most clinicians. I found that I was able to read it from cover to cover without much effort. The text and photographs jibe wonderfully. Neuropathology may not come alive, but at least it's out there. A good book like this, with its well- executed simplification, brings insights that penetrate. Jonathan D. Trobe, MD University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Neurology and Trauma, 2nd Edition Randolph W. Evans, MD. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2006. ISBN- 13 978- 0- 19- 517032- 0, $ 98.50. Scope: This is a comprehensive multi- authored textbook dealing with the neurologic consequences of traumatic injury to the central and peripheral nervous systems. It is the second edition of a book originally published in 1996. An additional 20 chapters have been added with new sections on neurologic sports trauma and iatrogenic trauma. The book is divided into 7 sections. The first 3 are the long- established topics in neuro- trauma: head trauma, spinal trauma, and peripheral nerve injuries. In addition to the epidemiology, history, radiographic evaluation, and management of traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and peripheral nerve injuries, Dr. Evans addresses topics such as posttraumatic epilepsy, complications of spinal cord injury, and evaluation of the brachial plexus. The final three chapters in the head trauma section offer unique perspectives with regard to the neurobehavioral and neuropsychologic implications of traumatic brain injury and place them in the framework of capacity for rehabilitation. The final 4 sections address neuro- trauma in the context of specific scenarios: posttraumatic pain syndromes, sports and neurologic trauma, environmental trauma, posttraumatic conditions, medicolegal aspects, and iatrogenic trauma. Strengths: This book reaches far beyond the traditional topics and delves into subjects rarely addressed in neuro-trauma textbooks. Posttraumatic pain syndromes, sports and neurologic trauma, and posttraumatic conditions are wonderfully reviewed to provide valuable information for the clinician who examines victims of trauma in the acute setting and long after injury. Weaknesses: The only deficiency is the limited review of spinal cord injury. The basic science and recent clinical research on this topic are sparse. By comparison, these subjects are exhaustively reviewed for traumatic brain injury. Although such detail may be beyond the scope of the author's intent, further discussion regarding the successes and failures of recent clinical trials, as well as the science behind them, would complement the equivalent data presented on traumatic brain injury and give perspective on the topic of future research on spinal cord injury. Recommended Audience: This book will be a valuable resource for neurosurgeons, neurologists, trauma surgeons, emergency department physicians, physiatrists and all physicians who treat victims of trauma in the acute or chronic setting. Critical Appraisal: The author has masterfully edited a comprehensive text on the neurologic implications of trauma. This multiauthored textbook remains remarkably cohesive throughout. From the basic science and recent clinical research to the acute clinical scenarios and chronic outpatient issues, this text will be of value to those physicians who interact with patients who have endured trauma to the central or peripheral nervous system. Luis M. Tumialan, MD Department of Neurosurgery Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 248 © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Book Reviews J Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2007 Digital Neuroanatomy: An Interactive CD Atlas With Text George R. Leichnetz, PhD. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 2006. ISBN: 0- 470- 04000- 9, $ 74.95 Scope: This interactive CD and its accompanying text cover introductory level microscopic and gross neuroanatomy. The CD and book are organized into 6 chapters: light microscopy; electron microscopy; skull, meninges, and spinal cord; gross brain anatomy; sectional brain anatomy; and an introduction to neuroimaging. Strengths: The CD is fantastic. It contains interactive study and quiz modes. In study mode, there are excellent quality images accompanied by illustrative text. These images are labeled only by letters that, when pressed, reveal the name of the structure- an ideal way to study. The quizzes contain hundreds of multiple choice questions to evaluate one's mastery of the material. The introduction to neuroimaging contains normal and abnormal images. Weaknesses: The brief book follows the same general organization as the CD and generally contains information already found on the CD. When this is not the case, it seems that the text could have been easily included on the CD. The only true loss one would incur from tossing the book would be the line drawings that illuminate the three- dimensional organization of micrographs and pathology sections. These drawings should have been a part of the CD. The CD unfortunately only runs on Windows. Another minor weakness is that the neuroimages are sometimes presented sideways, which requires some mental exercise in interpretation. Recommended Audience: This book is appropriate for graduate and first- year medical students taking a neuroanatomy course. Teachers of neuroanatomy may find this to be a useful resource and question bank. Critical Appraisal: This textbook with the CD would be an excellent accompaniment and study tool for an introductory course in neuroanatomy. Beau B. Bruce, MD Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia 249 |
