There is a backlog building up in my office, of books needing reviewing. More worrying, many a book has disappeared into the ether, with the promised review never materialising. So, if I want a job doing, I had better do these two. Publishers are amazingly generous in providing books on request; indeed, I cannot recall a single refusal! I do need to recruit some new blood, whether from my senior peers or the trainees at whom many of these texts are aimed. The work is not onerous, the rewards obvious. Indeed, if any enthusiast sees a new publication that attracts, remember I can probably get it for you. All I need is a guarantee of a review in exchange. Here are two excellent and good value softback books from that prolific publisher Thieme.
I would never have imagined that what is after all a paperback-sized atlas of radiology could work so well. The quality of reproduction of the scans is superb, and both normal anatomy and disease are well covered. The opening chapter contains tables carrying such labels as ‘Practical differences between MRI and CT’, ‘MRI presentation of head and neck pathology’ and ‘MRI tissue characteristics’. The tables are very comprehensive, and probably provide the best presentation of these topics that I have encountered.
This book, from the Netherlands, is written from the viewpoint of the otolaryngologist and not the radiologist. As a result, it resists the common urge to present imaging of the bizarre or irrelevant (e.g. the foreign body in the ear canal or the sebaceous cyst in the neck).
Otology and skull base material dominates, taking up the first half of the book, but the sinuses, neck and salivary glands are not overlooked.
High print quality on glossy paper, at a bargain price, is what makes this such an attractive atlas of radiology. This book is a great reference for the trainee; however, as an ‘expert’ on ENT imaging, I too enjoyed it immensely.
I am sure (well, almost sure) that I once owned a Thieme book of this title while preparing for FRCS in 1980. It was highly treasured and referred to, even while sitting in the waiting room awaiting the viva bell.
This is a multi-author work, with contributors from all over the US. I particularly enjoyed the foreword, which, in a single page, discussed how all surgeons think, how otolaryngologists think more laterally, and how we face the challenges of diagnosis in our diverse speciality. Rob Jackler wrote this foreword, of course!
The opening chapters deal with aids to clinical diagnosis, such as imaging, audiology and immunology. The book closes with brief coverage of ‘recent advances’, but the main text concentrates on management of 70 clinical presentations, ranging from facial asymmetry in children, through thyroid abnormality and sudden hearing loss, to neck ageing. The contributions vary. Some carry excellent colour photographs, but imaging is very sparse (so consider the book reviewed above as one of this pair, I feel).
This is probably more a reference book and a revision text before the exam than an easy read from cover to cover.
A very useful addition to the trainee's library.
