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Books received November-December 1991
Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 108 (1992) 229-230 © 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved 0022-510X/92/$05.00
229
B o o k reviews
Peripheral Neurology: Case Studies in Electrodiagnosis, 2rid edition, by Jay A. Liveson, 1991, F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA, (distr. by UK Quest-Meridien, Ltd.), 476 pages, £42.75, ISBN, 0-8036-3652-1. This textbook is the second editioc of an excellent, case presentation style, educational material for the learning and review of peripheral electrodiagnosis. The book is divided into two parts: a short review of fundamental concepts and the longer section of case studies. Part I consists of 3 chapters. The first discusses the fundamental principles of nerve conduction studies, repetitive stimulation, and electromyograpby. The subsequent chapter describes the typical electrodiagnostic findings in diseases of the peripheral nervous system including anterior horn cell diseases, polyradiculopathy, peripheral neuropatby, disorders of the neuromuscular junction, and myopatby. The final chapter of Part 1 depicts the expected electrodiagnostic results in focal processes affecting individual peripheral nerves of the upper and lower extremities and face, roots, plexi, and the conus medularis. A helpful teaching aspect is the inclusion of case study numbers in the page margins adjacent to discussion of a topic (e.g., ulnar mononeuropatby at the elbow, radial neuropathy at the spiral groove). Part I! consists of 95 case presentations addressing specific teachin8 principles. Each case report is divided into a history and physical examination, a series of questions raised by the ease presentation, answers to the questions using supportive and refuting points from the history and physical examination, a plan for performing the electrodiagnostic examination, and results of the electropbysiologic exam. Using those results, further questions are introduced and answered. Each case study is concluded with a formal electrodiagnostic interpretation, clinical follow-up, significance of the case presentation to clinical medicine, and a list of closely-related case reports from the textbook. The 95 case studies represent a full spectrum of peripheral nervous system disorders from the common to esoteric. The author presents several examples each of diffuse peripheral neuropatby, neuromuscular junction disorders (myaesthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton Syndrome, botulism), mononeuropathy of the same nerve at different locations, mynpathies, and several central nervous system diseases mimicking peripheral disorders, in several cases the patients manifested two electrophysiologic disorders, some representative of double-crush phenomena. Dr. Liveson cleverly includes patients with complicated histories and normal or nonspecific results, an aspect of electrodiagnosis commonly encountered in a busy laboratory. A particularly helpful case was his analysis of scapular winging. The author created a table contrasting the clinical findings in lesions of the long thoracic, spinal accessory, and dorsal scapular nerves. The textbook concludes with 1924 references, a bibliography of other textbooks on electrodiagnosis, and an Appendix of Diagnoses. The text is well-written and each case presentation is highlighted by an illustration identifying the anatomy under study. The electrodiagnostic results are listed clearly in tables and each value is noted as normal or abnormal. I highly recommend this text as a superb means of learning peripheral electrodiagnosis, particularly for the resident or fellow first acquiring the skill, but also for the seasoned veteran in need of review and intellectual stimulation. It effectively complements many of the standard textbooks on peripheral electrodiagnosis. PEXER D. DONOFRIO,M.D.
Muskelerkrankungen, by FelLx Jerusalem and Stephan Zierz (eds.), 1991, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, New York, 417 pages, DM 190.00, ISBN 3-13-567802-4 How to get a myological universe into a small book? This is an increasingly difficult problem, concerning all those neurologists who are engaged in the care for patients with muscle disease. Small books tend to be superficial and outdated, large book combine a high price with the risk of becoming inevitably outdated soon despite their comprehensiveness. This book gives a full spectrum of muscle disease in the German language, based on the vast experience of the authors. It is apparently written for clinicians with an interest in morphology. The first hundred pages or so are dedicated to the pathological study of muscle tissue; a full description of the examination of the patient is not to be found before chapter 8. The largest part of the book gives an up-to-date description of the many clinical syndromes and diseases which, in my opinion, is informative and rather detailed, despite its succinctness. It is also abundantly illustrated with photngraphs, some of which seem to be redundant. For i,stance, the patients with carnitine deficiency myopathy, McArdle's disease or CPT deficiency do not reveal abnormal macroscopic features. The text is well-referenced, although, of course, not exhaustively. The pathological part is a very useful introduction into the noble art of muscle tissue pathology, including EM. As to the latter, 1 am afraid that the size of the photographs does not combine very well with the quality of the paper used. In summary, I feel this book may become a good friend of the myologist, to put on his table within handreach.
A.R. W1NTZEN,M.D. Dept. Neurology, Academic Hospital, State University Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
Books received November-December 1991 * Regeneration of Vertebrate Sensory Receptor Cells, by G.R. Bock and Julie Whelan (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 328 pages, £39.50
* Role of the Forebrain in Sensation and Behavior, Progress in Brain Research, vol. 87, by O. Holstege (ed.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 421 pages, US$189.50 * Cerebrovnscular Disorders in the 1990s, Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, by Jose Biller (guest editor), 1991, W.B. Saunders & Co., Philadelphia, PA, 401-636 pages, no price listed * Glioma, Principles and Practice in Neuroncology, by A.B.M.F. Karim and E. Laws, Jr. (eds.), 199~, ~;pringer-Verlag, New York, NY, 282 pages, US$149.00 * Giycine Neurotransmission, by O.P. Ottersen and J. Storm-Mathisen (eds.), 1991, J. Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 483 pages, US$159.00 * Cerebral Pathophysiology: An Integral Approach with some Emphasis on Clinical Implications, by K. Go (ed.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 407 pages, US$205.00
230 * Event.Related Brain Research, Electroencephalography and Clinical
Neurophysiology, Suppl. 42, by C.H.M. Brunia, G. Mulder and M.N. Verbaten (eds.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 379 pages, US$202.50 * Mapping the Brain and its Functions, by C.M. Perchura and J.D. Martin (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 141 pages, £21.50 Problems in Critical Care: Resuscitation Following Acute Brain Injury, by C. Veremakis (guest editor), 1991, J.B. Lippincott, Hagerstown, MD, 135-327 pages, US$30.00
Brain Blood Flow in Neurology and Psychiatry, by D.C. Costa and P.J. Ell, 1991, Churchill-Livingstone, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 179 pages,
£14.95 * Neurodegenerative Disorders: Mechanisms and Prospects for Therapy, by D.L. Price, H. Thoenen and A.J. Aguayo (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 290 pages, £50.00 Lung Biology in Health and Disease, vol. 53, Developmental Neurobiology of Breathing, by G.G. Haddad and J.P. Farber (eds.), Marcel Dekker inc., New York, NY 700 pages, US$165.00
N e w s and N o t e s
32nd INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC GERALD GRINSCHGL SYMPOSIUM Oraz, Austria June 14-21, 1992 Because of the present situation in Croatia the host of this year's symposium will be Graz, on the grounds of the traditional scientific and friendly cooperation between medical professionals in Zagreb and Graz.
Program: Postgraduate Courses on standard EEG, special neurophysiological diagnostic methods, epilepsy (progress in diagnostics and therapy), diagnosis and therapy of backpain. The Scientific Program is dedicated to (1) antidepressants, (2) facial pain, (3) neuroimaging, (4) advances in the field of migraine, (5) psychosomatic headache. Workshops will be organized on: emergency psychiatry, audiovisual techniques, motion and traction, biofeedback, decade of the brain, epilepsy, magnetic stimulation, multiple sclerosis, neurosurgery, neuroimaging, clinical neuropsychology. For further details and inquiries, contact: Prof. Dr. Helmut Lechner, Head, University Department of Neurology, Auenbruggerplatz 22, A-8036 Graz, Austria. Tel.: (316) 385 2385; Fax: (316) 35520. Correspondence to the Croatian Secretariat: Prof. Dr. Bosko Bara~, University Department of Neurology, KJ~pati~eva 12, 41000 Zagreb, Croatia. Tel.: (41) 235 595.
229
B o o k reviews
Peripheral Neurology: Case Studies in Electrodiagnosis, 2rid edition, by Jay A. Liveson, 1991, F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, PA, (distr. by UK Quest-Meridien, Ltd.), 476 pages, £42.75, ISBN, 0-8036-3652-1. This textbook is the second editioc of an excellent, case presentation style, educational material for the learning and review of peripheral electrodiagnosis. The book is divided into two parts: a short review of fundamental concepts and the longer section of case studies. Part I consists of 3 chapters. The first discusses the fundamental principles of nerve conduction studies, repetitive stimulation, and electromyograpby. The subsequent chapter describes the typical electrodiagnostic findings in diseases of the peripheral nervous system including anterior horn cell diseases, polyradiculopathy, peripheral neuropatby, disorders of the neuromuscular junction, and myopatby. The final chapter of Part 1 depicts the expected electrodiagnostic results in focal processes affecting individual peripheral nerves of the upper and lower extremities and face, roots, plexi, and the conus medularis. A helpful teaching aspect is the inclusion of case study numbers in the page margins adjacent to discussion of a topic (e.g., ulnar mononeuropatby at the elbow, radial neuropathy at the spiral groove). Part I! consists of 95 case presentations addressing specific teachin8 principles. Each case report is divided into a history and physical examination, a series of questions raised by the ease presentation, answers to the questions using supportive and refuting points from the history and physical examination, a plan for performing the electrodiagnostic examination, and results of the electropbysiologic exam. Using those results, further questions are introduced and answered. Each case study is concluded with a formal electrodiagnostic interpretation, clinical follow-up, significance of the case presentation to clinical medicine, and a list of closely-related case reports from the textbook. The 95 case studies represent a full spectrum of peripheral nervous system disorders from the common to esoteric. The author presents several examples each of diffuse peripheral neuropatby, neuromuscular junction disorders (myaesthenia gravis, Lambert-Eaton Syndrome, botulism), mononeuropathy of the same nerve at different locations, mynpathies, and several central nervous system diseases mimicking peripheral disorders, in several cases the patients manifested two electrophysiologic disorders, some representative of double-crush phenomena. Dr. Liveson cleverly includes patients with complicated histories and normal or nonspecific results, an aspect of electrodiagnosis commonly encountered in a busy laboratory. A particularly helpful case was his analysis of scapular winging. The author created a table contrasting the clinical findings in lesions of the long thoracic, spinal accessory, and dorsal scapular nerves. The textbook concludes with 1924 references, a bibliography of other textbooks on electrodiagnosis, and an Appendix of Diagnoses. The text is well-written and each case presentation is highlighted by an illustration identifying the anatomy under study. The electrodiagnostic results are listed clearly in tables and each value is noted as normal or abnormal. I highly recommend this text as a superb means of learning peripheral electrodiagnosis, particularly for the resident or fellow first acquiring the skill, but also for the seasoned veteran in need of review and intellectual stimulation. It effectively complements many of the standard textbooks on peripheral electrodiagnosis. PEXER D. DONOFRIO,M.D.
Muskelerkrankungen, by FelLx Jerusalem and Stephan Zierz (eds.), 1991, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, New York, 417 pages, DM 190.00, ISBN 3-13-567802-4 How to get a myological universe into a small book? This is an increasingly difficult problem, concerning all those neurologists who are engaged in the care for patients with muscle disease. Small books tend to be superficial and outdated, large book combine a high price with the risk of becoming inevitably outdated soon despite their comprehensiveness. This book gives a full spectrum of muscle disease in the German language, based on the vast experience of the authors. It is apparently written for clinicians with an interest in morphology. The first hundred pages or so are dedicated to the pathological study of muscle tissue; a full description of the examination of the patient is not to be found before chapter 8. The largest part of the book gives an up-to-date description of the many clinical syndromes and diseases which, in my opinion, is informative and rather detailed, despite its succinctness. It is also abundantly illustrated with photngraphs, some of which seem to be redundant. For i,stance, the patients with carnitine deficiency myopathy, McArdle's disease or CPT deficiency do not reveal abnormal macroscopic features. The text is well-referenced, although, of course, not exhaustively. The pathological part is a very useful introduction into the noble art of muscle tissue pathology, including EM. As to the latter, 1 am afraid that the size of the photographs does not combine very well with the quality of the paper used. In summary, I feel this book may become a good friend of the myologist, to put on his table within handreach.
A.R. W1NTZEN,M.D. Dept. Neurology, Academic Hospital, State University Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
Books received November-December 1991 * Regeneration of Vertebrate Sensory Receptor Cells, by G.R. Bock and Julie Whelan (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 328 pages, £39.50
* Role of the Forebrain in Sensation and Behavior, Progress in Brain Research, vol. 87, by O. Holstege (ed.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 421 pages, US$189.50 * Cerebrovnscular Disorders in the 1990s, Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, by Jose Biller (guest editor), 1991, W.B. Saunders & Co., Philadelphia, PA, 401-636 pages, no price listed * Glioma, Principles and Practice in Neuroncology, by A.B.M.F. Karim and E. Laws, Jr. (eds.), 199~, ~;pringer-Verlag, New York, NY, 282 pages, US$149.00 * Giycine Neurotransmission, by O.P. Ottersen and J. Storm-Mathisen (eds.), 1991, J. Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 483 pages, US$159.00 * Cerebral Pathophysiology: An Integral Approach with some Emphasis on Clinical Implications, by K. Go (ed.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 407 pages, US$205.00
230 * Event.Related Brain Research, Electroencephalography and Clinical
Neurophysiology, Suppl. 42, by C.H.M. Brunia, G. Mulder and M.N. Verbaten (eds.), 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 379 pages, US$202.50 * Mapping the Brain and its Functions, by C.M. Perchura and J.D. Martin (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 141 pages, £21.50 Problems in Critical Care: Resuscitation Following Acute Brain Injury, by C. Veremakis (guest editor), 1991, J.B. Lippincott, Hagerstown, MD, 135-327 pages, US$30.00
Brain Blood Flow in Neurology and Psychiatry, by D.C. Costa and P.J. Ell, 1991, Churchill-Livingstone, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 179 pages,
£14.95 * Neurodegenerative Disorders: Mechanisms and Prospects for Therapy, by D.L. Price, H. Thoenen and A.J. Aguayo (eds.), 1991, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 290 pages, £50.00 Lung Biology in Health and Disease, vol. 53, Developmental Neurobiology of Breathing, by G.G. Haddad and J.P. Farber (eds.), Marcel Dekker inc., New York, NY 700 pages, US$165.00
N e w s and N o t e s
32nd INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC GERALD GRINSCHGL SYMPOSIUM Oraz, Austria June 14-21, 1992 Because of the present situation in Croatia the host of this year's symposium will be Graz, on the grounds of the traditional scientific and friendly cooperation between medical professionals in Zagreb and Graz.
Program: Postgraduate Courses on standard EEG, special neurophysiological diagnostic methods, epilepsy (progress in diagnostics and therapy), diagnosis and therapy of backpain. The Scientific Program is dedicated to (1) antidepressants, (2) facial pain, (3) neuroimaging, (4) advances in the field of migraine, (5) psychosomatic headache. Workshops will be organized on: emergency psychiatry, audiovisual techniques, motion and traction, biofeedback, decade of the brain, epilepsy, magnetic stimulation, multiple sclerosis, neurosurgery, neuroimaging, clinical neuropsychology. For further details and inquiries, contact: Prof. Dr. Helmut Lechner, Head, University Department of Neurology, Auenbruggerplatz 22, A-8036 Graz, Austria. Tel.: (316) 385 2385; Fax: (316) 35520. Correspondence to the Croatian Secretariat: Prof. Dr. Bosko Bara~, University Department of Neurology, KJ~pati~eva 12, 41000 Zagreb, Croatia. Tel.: (41) 235 595.