Fundamentals of chest radiology, 2nd edition

Fundamentals of chest radiology, 2nd edition

Clinical Imaging 31 (2007) 141 – 143 Book reviews Fundamentals of chest radiology, 2nd edition LH Ketai, R Lofgren, AJ Meholic (Eds). Philadelphia, P...

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Clinical Imaging 31 (2007) 141 – 143

Book reviews Fundamentals of chest radiology, 2nd edition LH Ketai, R Lofgren, AJ Meholic (Eds). Philadelphia, PA7 Elsevier/W.B. Saunders; 2005, 304 pages, 650 illustrations, US$59.95, ISBN: 0-7216-1016-1.

Ultrasound of the urogenital system GM Baxter, PS Sidhu (Eds). New York/Stuttgart7 Thieme; 2006, 286 pages, 450 illustrations, US$129.95, ISBN: 1-58890-237-4.

This treatise, in its third edition, is an introductory book to chest radiology, in which the most important radiological images of the cardiopulmonary diseases are described, correlating them with their clinical findings. The book is subdivided into 14 chapters. In the first two chapters, the technical principals and the semiology of the procedures by which the chest is studied radiologically, that is, standard chest radiographs, CT, and MRI, are discussed. The most common anatomical variants and the most frequent artifacts are described. In the remaining 12 chapters, the most frequent pathological processes involving the different anatomical segments of the chest are presented. Each chapter opens with a summarized but clear description of the local anatomy and concludes with a useful synthesis of those findings, which would lead to a correct differential diagnosis. Because a standard chest radiograph is usually the first radiological examination performed in the evaluation of a possible pathological process involving this body part, this procedure is the method more thoroughly analyzed in the book. Often, the images by CT and/or MRI are used to explain certain radiographic images. Dedicated to medical students and junior residents who plan to enter the field of thoracic radiology, the book offers concise but clear guidelines on the interpretation of standard radiographs as well as CT and MR images of the chest, discussing the indications and limitations of each imaging procedure. Further, how to choose the more appropriate procedure for a specific clinical question is explained through schematic algorithms, as well as how to proceed once that question is satisfactorily answered. Thanks to the schematic approach that characterizes it, the book can be also useful to the physician and to the surgeon who may be interested in acquiring some basic understanding of chest radiology. Finally, the clear and useful subdivisions of the discussed subjects and the excellent analytic index make the consultation of any topic presented quick and simple.

Ultrasonography (US) is often performed as a first-line diagnostic approach in the investigation of many organs and systems because of its availability and easiness of use. Nevertheless, in some medical fields, US may also be the reference imaging technique in comparison with other imaging modalities. This is true in particular when we deal with the urogenital system, where the application of diagnostic US represents not only the preliminary approach but also, at times, the most accurate procedure in defining a pathologic process, such as in the evaluation of renal transplants and testicular disease. Keeping this statement in mind, Baxter and Sidhu, consultant radiologists from Glasgow and London, with contributions by other British expert radiologists, urologists, nephrologists, and oncologists, have compiled this textbook that deals specifically with the role of US in the imaging of the renovesical and urogenital tracts. The book is divided into five sections, for a total of 14 chapters. In the first two sections, the contents are presented from the nephrologists’ and the urologists’ point of view, respectively. The imaging findings of each section are put into a clinical context, giving both a medical and a surgical overview, demonstrating how US plays a role in securing the diagnosis. The nephrologic section deals with acute parenchymal diseases of the kidney, vascular and infective cortical disorders, and chronic renal failure, although the main nephrologic subject concerns the US evaluation of the renal transplant. Particularly in this field, in comparison with other imaging modalities, US is the primary method used for surveillance. The urologic section reviews all topics from a surgical perspective, such as in the case of calculus formations; urinary tract obstruction; focal lesions of the kidney; benign and malignant pathologies of the prostate; and diseases of the bladder, testis, and epididymis, without omitting urogenital traumatism and penile abnormalities, including infertility and erectile dysfunctions. Genitourinary problems are a common scenario in childhood; thus, this textbook dedicates the whole third section to the pediatric population and its nephrourologic pathologies.

Silvia Venturini doi:10.1016/j.clinimag.2006.12.001 0899-7071/07/$ – see front matter D 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.