- Email: [email protected]
Emergency Radiology: The Requisites
Emergency Radiology: The Requisites Jorge A. Soto and Brian C. Lucey Philadelphia, Mosby, 2009, $102.00, hardcover, 397 pp.
Emergency Radiology: The Requisites by Soto and Lucey is a new addition to the popular Requisites series. The authors are from Boston University and are trained in body imaging. The majority of the chapters are written by the staff at Boston University and surrounding hospitals in Boston who are specialists in the field. The book is directed toward general radiology and emergency medicine residents. The length and depth of the book is such that it can be read in a few days while on a clinical rotation. There are individual chapters divided by organ systems for trauma and nontrauma categories, as well as dedicated vascular and nuclear medicine chapters. The order of the chapters does not always follow a logical sequence. However, this lack of a logical order to the chapters is not a large issue, as the chapters do not need to be linked and can be read independently. The writing is concise, with a concentration on topics that are most common to the emergency room. The book is most beneficial for first-year residents learning to interpret radiographs in a systematic fashion. For example, the extremity trauma section reviews basic fracture terminology and descriptions. The chapter describes each of the extremity bones in a bullet format that includes the standard views, frequent sites of injuries, frequently missed injuries, relevant normal anatomy, and normal variants that might mimic a fracture. However,
B.K.H. serves on the Resident Advisory Board Program for Elsevier. © SIR, 2010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvir.2009.10.008
168
because of the size limitation of the book, radiographic images for each of the bullet points are not included. In comparison to one of the major emergency radiology books, Radiology of Emergency Medicine by Harris and Harris, The Requisites is more concise, approximately half the length, and more current. The tradeoff is that the textbook by Harris and Harris provides more in-depth discussions and includes a broader range of topics and images. The price and brevity of The Requisites makes it more likely to be bought by a resident in training and actually read during a clinical rotation. The Requisites is an engaging text with good descriptions, tables, and diagrams. Unfortunately, the paper and appearance of the images in the book have suboptimal contrast and are of lower quality than in other books in the Requisites series. This is the book to buy for beginning radiology residents who are getting ready to take in-hospital call. It is a good review for senior residents as it contains a compilation of cases likely to seen in an emergency department setting or shown during an oral examination. Although the paper and printing are below standard, the price of $102.00 places it within reach of a resident’s budget. For the interventionalist, Emergency Radiology could serve as a review for individuals who are involved with general emergency department call. There is some information on cases an interventionalist might see on call, like gastrointestinal bleeding and vascular trauma; however, the discussion of treatment options is only cursory, and a dedicated interventional reference would be preferred. —reviewed by Benjamin K. Hom, MD
Emergency Radiology: The Requisites by Soto and Lucey is a new addition to the popular Requisites series. The authors are from Boston University and are trained in body imaging. The majority of the chapters are written by the staff at Boston University and surrounding hospitals in Boston who are specialists in the field. The book is directed toward general radiology and emergency medicine residents. The length and depth of the book is such that it can be read in a few days while on a clinical rotation. There are individual chapters divided by organ systems for trauma and nontrauma categories, as well as dedicated vascular and nuclear medicine chapters. The order of the chapters does not always follow a logical sequence. However, this lack of a logical order to the chapters is not a large issue, as the chapters do not need to be linked and can be read independently. The writing is concise, with a concentration on topics that are most common to the emergency room. The book is most beneficial for first-year residents learning to interpret radiographs in a systematic fashion. For example, the extremity trauma section reviews basic fracture terminology and descriptions. The chapter describes each of the extremity bones in a bullet format that includes the standard views, frequent sites of injuries, frequently missed injuries, relevant normal anatomy, and normal variants that might mimic a fracture. However,
B.K.H. serves on the Resident Advisory Board Program for Elsevier. © SIR, 2010 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvir.2009.10.008
168
because of the size limitation of the book, radiographic images for each of the bullet points are not included. In comparison to one of the major emergency radiology books, Radiology of Emergency Medicine by Harris and Harris, The Requisites is more concise, approximately half the length, and more current. The tradeoff is that the textbook by Harris and Harris provides more in-depth discussions and includes a broader range of topics and images. The price and brevity of The Requisites makes it more likely to be bought by a resident in training and actually read during a clinical rotation. The Requisites is an engaging text with good descriptions, tables, and diagrams. Unfortunately, the paper and appearance of the images in the book have suboptimal contrast and are of lower quality than in other books in the Requisites series. This is the book to buy for beginning radiology residents who are getting ready to take in-hospital call. It is a good review for senior residents as it contains a compilation of cases likely to seen in an emergency department setting or shown during an oral examination. Although the paper and printing are below standard, the price of $102.00 places it within reach of a resident’s budget. For the interventionalist, Emergency Radiology could serve as a review for individuals who are involved with general emergency department call. There is some information on cases an interventionalist might see on call, like gastrointestinal bleeding and vascular trauma; however, the discussion of treatment options is only cursory, and a dedicated interventional reference would be preferred. —reviewed by Benjamin K. Hom, MD