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Case Studies in Abdominal and Pelvic Imaging
GASTROENTEROLOGY 2012;142:1620 –1622
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS Joel H. Rubenstein, Section Editor
Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide. Charles D. Blanke, Claus Rödel, and Mark S. Talamonti, editors. 460 pp. $189.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2011. ISBN: 978-3642-13305-3. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
The editors of Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide have created a comprehensive, contemporary multidisciplinary book on the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers including the rare GI stromal tumors and neuroendocrine tumors. Each chapter is created by physicians well-respected in their fields, with many contributions written by some of the world’s leading experts. Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide clearly communicates that treatment of a patient with a GI malignancy requires multidisciplinary management for optimal outcome. The authors are not only involved in the various disciplines for treatment of GI cancers, but also include well-respected national and international pioneers in their fields, such as Drs. John Macdonald (gastric cancer), Charles Blanke (GI stromal tumors), James Yao (neuroendocrine tumors), and Claus Roedel (rectal cancer). The aim of this book is to provide practical treatment advice for a GI cancer patient by providing the most up-to-date, evidence-based information, as well as current clinical trials and a vision for the future. The content of this book will not only benefit physicians (academic and nonacademic) of all disciplines, but also all mid-level providers, nurses, staff in training, and all other individuals with an interest in GI cancers. The editors have created this first edition book starting with 3 foundational yet evolving topics, including interventional GI oncology, correlative science, and diagnostic
imaging. From there, the editors proceeded from the beginning of the GI tract, starting with esophageal, gastric, and hepatocellular carcinomas, the controversial subject of locally advanced pancreatic cancer and unresectable pancreatic carcinoma, and finally colon, rectal and anal carcinomas. Each chapter is created from a multidisciplinary perspective, including general epidemiology, prevention, pathology, relevant correlatives, surgery, chemotherapy radiosensitization, and radiation therapy (if appropriate), and chemotherapy. Within each chapter, there are several tables, diagrams, images, and figures which are well organized, user-friendly, and include beautifully depicted color photographs that are both engaging and educational. Furthermore, the quality of the content was relatively uniform throughout each chapter. In contrast with other oncology books, not only is the content of Gastrointestinal Oncology more practical, but the small size of the book is also very appealing, all while retaining a hardcover for durability. Although some individuals do not favor textbooks in light of the Internet and other paperless resources, this textbook has the capacity to serve as an excellent resource and is of great value to any practicing physician. Bottom Line: Overall, this author finds Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide an extraordinarily well-written textbook and of great value to anyone practicing or with an interest in GI malignancy. CATHY ENG The Colorectal Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Houston, Texas Case Studies in Abdominal and Pelvic Imaging. Rita Joarder, Neil Crundwell, and Matthew Gibson, editors. 190 pp. $139.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-85729-365-7. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com
Case Studies in Abdominal and Pelvic imaging is exactly what the name implies. It is a collection of imaging cases that is targeted toward the nonradiologist physician and allied professional who has an interest in imaging. In the preface, the authors state that a wider
June 2012
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
range of clinicians need to understand imaging beyond reading the radiology report. This book serves as a good beginning, and is very readable in length. It is not a reference resource or comprehensive collection of imaging topics within the abdomen and pelvis. Rather, as stated this is a collection of “real cases.” As such, many clinical vignettes are not compact and focused in their answers. In life, radiographs are often difficult, and the findings on the included radiographs are frequently subtle in the way they are reproduced on the pages. The discussion for each case is presented in text form, and occasionally the diagnosis requires some digging to find. Each answer page includes a summary box of key points, which the reviewer found helpful. There is a mixture of different imaging modalities represented in the selected cases. The book is heavy in crosssectional imaging, and a larger presence of ultrasonography would have been welcomed. In most of the 12 cases with ⱖ1 ultrasound image, ultrasonography is not the main modality of focus. This is the type of book made for taking notes within its pages. There is no “Diagnosis: XXXX” or even bold lettering of the diagnosis to allow quick skimming by the reader. One must often read the text fully to ferret out the diagnosis. In its printed form, there is no way to quickly get back to a specific diagnosis a week or 2 later, again promoting notation by the reader of favorite cases on the individual pages or on the table of contents. As a reader, it would be nice to have an insert with a list of the answers by case number, because it is not printed in the back of the book. Otherwise, grouping of cases by organ system would have been beneficial. Last, unused space on many pages would have supported larger images for those without perfect vision. Bottom Line: Overall, although there are drawbacks mostly related to the book format and the discussion sections, the authors fulfill their goal of providing a series of instructive cases for the neophyte clinical imager. MARK E. LOCKHART University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama
1621
Website Review: Patient-oriented content on IBS on the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Mayo Clinic, WebMD, UpToDate, Healthline, MedicineNet, Wikipedia, and IBS Support Group.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is among the most common chronic conditions, affecting ⬎1 in 10 people worldwide. The Internet has afforded these patients the opportunity to selfeducate. In this report, the most commonly visited websites for medical information for IBS are evaluated for their content.
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (www.iffgd.org) This website is from a not-for-profit group determined to help patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders. The IBS portion of the website is located at a sublink www.aboutIBS.org. Although the website is patient user friendly, the information is highly simplistic and outdated. Many of the latest developments in IBS are not readily available. The website is heavily focused on the brain– gut axis concept and psychological management approaches to IBS. These, of course are not without merit, but the website lacks balance. As such, there is difficulty navigating the site to find information about postinfectious IBS. Some links lead to an error message. Overall, this was among the least updated websites for information on IBS. Good points were that there were few, if any, distracting ads.
Mayo Clinic Site (www.mayoclinic.com/ health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/DS00106) The Mayo Clinic has a large website with information about many human medical disorders. Essentially, the navigating involves typing your term in the search engine. The information was very outdated and, although easy to read, it was too simplistic and descriptive. The information was very disappointing and similar to many other medical centers.
WebMD (www.webmd.com/ibs) The people at WebMD traditionally are quite comprehensive in their approach. However, in the case of IBS, the information was ⱖ2 years out of date. The webpages were cluttered with branch points to other information about IBS that did not always lead to the information desired and numerous ads. The information is not well referenced and in some areas incorrect. The site was far too commercial and distracting with pages of single paragraph bits of information with more ads on the right.
UpToDate (www.uptodate.com/patients/ index) Right from the start, Uptodate had the right approach. It started with a simple search screen. When you
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS Joel H. Rubenstein, Section Editor
Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide. Charles D. Blanke, Claus Rödel, and Mark S. Talamonti, editors. 460 pp. $189.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2011. ISBN: 978-3642-13305-3. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
The editors of Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide have created a comprehensive, contemporary multidisciplinary book on the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers including the rare GI stromal tumors and neuroendocrine tumors. Each chapter is created by physicians well-respected in their fields, with many contributions written by some of the world’s leading experts. Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide clearly communicates that treatment of a patient with a GI malignancy requires multidisciplinary management for optimal outcome. The authors are not only involved in the various disciplines for treatment of GI cancers, but also include well-respected national and international pioneers in their fields, such as Drs. John Macdonald (gastric cancer), Charles Blanke (GI stromal tumors), James Yao (neuroendocrine tumors), and Claus Roedel (rectal cancer). The aim of this book is to provide practical treatment advice for a GI cancer patient by providing the most up-to-date, evidence-based information, as well as current clinical trials and a vision for the future. The content of this book will not only benefit physicians (academic and nonacademic) of all disciplines, but also all mid-level providers, nurses, staff in training, and all other individuals with an interest in GI cancers. The editors have created this first edition book starting with 3 foundational yet evolving topics, including interventional GI oncology, correlative science, and diagnostic
imaging. From there, the editors proceeded from the beginning of the GI tract, starting with esophageal, gastric, and hepatocellular carcinomas, the controversial subject of locally advanced pancreatic cancer and unresectable pancreatic carcinoma, and finally colon, rectal and anal carcinomas. Each chapter is created from a multidisciplinary perspective, including general epidemiology, prevention, pathology, relevant correlatives, surgery, chemotherapy radiosensitization, and radiation therapy (if appropriate), and chemotherapy. Within each chapter, there are several tables, diagrams, images, and figures which are well organized, user-friendly, and include beautifully depicted color photographs that are both engaging and educational. Furthermore, the quality of the content was relatively uniform throughout each chapter. In contrast with other oncology books, not only is the content of Gastrointestinal Oncology more practical, but the small size of the book is also very appealing, all while retaining a hardcover for durability. Although some individuals do not favor textbooks in light of the Internet and other paperless resources, this textbook has the capacity to serve as an excellent resource and is of great value to any practicing physician. Bottom Line: Overall, this author finds Gastrointestinal Oncology: A Practical Guide an extraordinarily well-written textbook and of great value to anyone practicing or with an interest in GI malignancy. CATHY ENG The Colorectal Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Houston, Texas Case Studies in Abdominal and Pelvic Imaging. Rita Joarder, Neil Crundwell, and Matthew Gibson, editors. 190 pp. $139.00. New York, New York, Springer, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-85729-365-7. Web address for ordering: www.springer.com
Case Studies in Abdominal and Pelvic imaging is exactly what the name implies. It is a collection of imaging cases that is targeted toward the nonradiologist physician and allied professional who has an interest in imaging. In the preface, the authors state that a wider
June 2012
PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA REVIEWS
REVIEWER RATING Coverage of relevant topics
夝夝夝夝
Improvement over previously available media
夝夝
Style of presentation and formatting
夝夝夝
Quality of figures
夝夝夝
Overall
夝夝夝
Stars: 夝: poor; 夝夝: adequate; 夝夝夝: fair; 夝夝夝夝: good; 夝夝夝夝夝: excellent.
range of clinicians need to understand imaging beyond reading the radiology report. This book serves as a good beginning, and is very readable in length. It is not a reference resource or comprehensive collection of imaging topics within the abdomen and pelvis. Rather, as stated this is a collection of “real cases.” As such, many clinical vignettes are not compact and focused in their answers. In life, radiographs are often difficult, and the findings on the included radiographs are frequently subtle in the way they are reproduced on the pages. The discussion for each case is presented in text form, and occasionally the diagnosis requires some digging to find. Each answer page includes a summary box of key points, which the reviewer found helpful. There is a mixture of different imaging modalities represented in the selected cases. The book is heavy in crosssectional imaging, and a larger presence of ultrasonography would have been welcomed. In most of the 12 cases with ⱖ1 ultrasound image, ultrasonography is not the main modality of focus. This is the type of book made for taking notes within its pages. There is no “Diagnosis: XXXX” or even bold lettering of the diagnosis to allow quick skimming by the reader. One must often read the text fully to ferret out the diagnosis. In its printed form, there is no way to quickly get back to a specific diagnosis a week or 2 later, again promoting notation by the reader of favorite cases on the individual pages or on the table of contents. As a reader, it would be nice to have an insert with a list of the answers by case number, because it is not printed in the back of the book. Otherwise, grouping of cases by organ system would have been beneficial. Last, unused space on many pages would have supported larger images for those without perfect vision. Bottom Line: Overall, although there are drawbacks mostly related to the book format and the discussion sections, the authors fulfill their goal of providing a series of instructive cases for the neophyte clinical imager. MARK E. LOCKHART University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama
1621
Website Review: Patient-oriented content on IBS on the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Mayo Clinic, WebMD, UpToDate, Healthline, MedicineNet, Wikipedia, and IBS Support Group.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is among the most common chronic conditions, affecting ⬎1 in 10 people worldwide. The Internet has afforded these patients the opportunity to selfeducate. In this report, the most commonly visited websites for medical information for IBS are evaluated for their content.
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (www.iffgd.org) This website is from a not-for-profit group determined to help patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders. The IBS portion of the website is located at a sublink www.aboutIBS.org. Although the website is patient user friendly, the information is highly simplistic and outdated. Many of the latest developments in IBS are not readily available. The website is heavily focused on the brain– gut axis concept and psychological management approaches to IBS. These, of course are not without merit, but the website lacks balance. As such, there is difficulty navigating the site to find information about postinfectious IBS. Some links lead to an error message. Overall, this was among the least updated websites for information on IBS. Good points were that there were few, if any, distracting ads.
Mayo Clinic Site (www.mayoclinic.com/ health/irritable-bowel-syndrome/DS00106) The Mayo Clinic has a large website with information about many human medical disorders. Essentially, the navigating involves typing your term in the search engine. The information was very outdated and, although easy to read, it was too simplistic and descriptive. The information was very disappointing and similar to many other medical centers.
WebMD (www.webmd.com/ibs) The people at WebMD traditionally are quite comprehensive in their approach. However, in the case of IBS, the information was ⱖ2 years out of date. The webpages were cluttered with branch points to other information about IBS that did not always lead to the information desired and numerous ads. The information is not well referenced and in some areas incorrect. The site was far too commercial and distracting with pages of single paragraph bits of information with more ads on the right.
UpToDate (www.uptodate.com/patients/ index) Right from the start, Uptodate had the right approach. It started with a simple search screen. When you