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Radiation therapy for head and neck neoplasms
436
BOOK
This atlas is a valuable reference regarding specific neurosurgical approaches and should be used to supplement other surgical atlases. The amount of material of interest to the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, however, is limited. Thus, it will more likely be useful as a library reference. Carl H. Snyderman, MD City, State Otoneurosurgery and Lateral Skull bv Fabrizio Salvinelli and Antonio Philadelphia, PA, Saunders, 1996,500
Base Surgery De La Cruz. pages, $89.00.
This is a general text on skull base surgery and neurotology written by two very well-recognized authors. The book begins with an inspirational forward by William F. House. The text includes 43 chapters followed by 31 pages of beautiful color plates that correspond to the preceding chapters. The first six chapters review the anatomy of the temporal bone, skull base, cerebella-pontine angle, paranasal sinuses, and the pathways of the cranial nerves. In the subsequent chapters, surgical techniques are discussed. In general, each chapter includes indications, surgical technique with illustration, tips, and pitfalls. Even though the surgical techniques are not described in great written detail, the chapters are well-illustrated and the reader leaves with a good understanding of how each procedure is performed. If more detail is required by the reader, the authors have provided an extremely complete set of references at the end of each chapter. The next four chapters include various topics such as congenital malformations of the temporal bone, cochlear implant, petrous apex lesions, and temporal bone malignancies. Four chapters are devoted to the facial nerve, including facial nerve repair as well as reinnervation and reanimation techniques. In chapter 16, the work-up and surgical approaches to glomus tumors are reviewed. Eleven chapters are devoted to the work-up and surgical treatment of patients with vestibular disorders such as Meniere’s disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and vascular cross compression syndromes. Surgical techniques include endolymphatic shunt, various approaches for vestibular neurectomy and labyrinthectomy, cochleosacculotomy, singular neurectomy, and microvascular decompression. The remainder of the book deals primarily with cerebella-pontine angle and pertroclival tumors. This begins with an in-depth chapter on the translabyrinthine approach including detailed tips and pitfalls as well as a section on how to handle surgical complications. Other approaches discussed include middle cranial fossa, retrosigmoid, transsigmoid, transcochlear, petrosal, and transtentorial approaches. Auditory implants in the brainstem are described in one of the final chapters. This is followed by a review of intraoperative cranial nerve monitoring techniques. As a bonus,
REVIEWS
the last chapter deals with preoperative informed consent and contains the informed consent forms used at the House Ear Clinic. In summary, Otoneurosurgery and Lateral Skull Base Surgery is a well-written and illustrated, concise, and inexpensive text that would be a welcome addition to the library of the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon interested in neurotology and skull base surgery. Seth Rosenberg,
MD, FACS Sarasota, FL
Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Neoplasms by Chiu-Chen Wang, MD. New York, NY, WileyLiss, 1997, 387 pages, 251 illustrations, $110.00. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of radiation therapy for neoplastic disease of the head and neck. The author accomplishes this by focusing on treatment techniques, management philosophy, and treatment results. This is the third edition of the book that has been updated to reflect the significant changes (such as altered fractionation therapy) that have occurred in the field since the last edition was published in 1990. This book contains 18 chapters that are of variable length and are all written by Dr Wang, Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), an individual whose work is frequently cited at multidisciplinary head and neck tumor boards across the country. The excellent text is complemented by graphs, clinical photographs, charts, tables, anatomic line drawings, and radiographs. The legends that accompany the illustrations are clear and concise. The figures depicting the lymphatic drainage pathways and the high risk nodal areas of the various head and neck sites are especially helpful. Tables appear throughout the book that summarize treatment results from the literature as well as from the MGH. At the end of each chapter, references are provided for further reading. Unfortunately, there are relatively few up-to-date references included. As one would expect, this text emphasizes the radiation oncologist’s viewpoint and therefore the reader would need to look elsewhere for more detailed discussions on the multidisciplinary approach to head and neck cancer. However, it is this perspective that is so important for the surgeon to be exposed to because of the key role radiation therapy plays in the current management of head and neck neoplasms. For practical purposes, the book can be divided into three sections. The first section consists of four chapters that provide background information and cover basic concepts and principles of radiobiology, technical considerations in the administration of radiation therapy, and dental management. The next section of the book, Chapters 5 through 16, covers the specifics of radiation therapy of neoplasms involving a wide variety of anatomic subsites in the head and neck including the skin, oral
BOOK
REVIEWS
cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, sinonasal tract, salivary glands, temporal and skull base, and eye, but excluding thyroid and parathyroid. Each of the chapters is organized so that it covers background information about the site (ie, demographics, anatomic considerations, and diagnostic issues), selection of therapy, technical pointers, results (both the literature and MGH), and a summary. There are also chapters on the management of the unknown primary and “miscellaneous” tumors such as plasmacytomas and lymphomas. The final section of the book includes chapters on complications of radiation and future prospects of radiation therapy for head and neck tumors.
437
Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Neoplasms is a well-organized, well-illustrated, affordable, and easy-to-read text that should be a good source of information on radiotherapy for surgeons specializing in head and neck oncology whether they are practicing otolaryngologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, or general surgeons. I would not recommend that the resident in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery read this one cover to cover, but I would recommend it for the resident’s library so that it would be available as a reference text. John R. Wanamaker Syracuse, NY
BOOK
This atlas is a valuable reference regarding specific neurosurgical approaches and should be used to supplement other surgical atlases. The amount of material of interest to the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon, however, is limited. Thus, it will more likely be useful as a library reference. Carl H. Snyderman, MD City, State Otoneurosurgery and Lateral Skull bv Fabrizio Salvinelli and Antonio Philadelphia, PA, Saunders, 1996,500
Base Surgery De La Cruz. pages, $89.00.
This is a general text on skull base surgery and neurotology written by two very well-recognized authors. The book begins with an inspirational forward by William F. House. The text includes 43 chapters followed by 31 pages of beautiful color plates that correspond to the preceding chapters. The first six chapters review the anatomy of the temporal bone, skull base, cerebella-pontine angle, paranasal sinuses, and the pathways of the cranial nerves. In the subsequent chapters, surgical techniques are discussed. In general, each chapter includes indications, surgical technique with illustration, tips, and pitfalls. Even though the surgical techniques are not described in great written detail, the chapters are well-illustrated and the reader leaves with a good understanding of how each procedure is performed. If more detail is required by the reader, the authors have provided an extremely complete set of references at the end of each chapter. The next four chapters include various topics such as congenital malformations of the temporal bone, cochlear implant, petrous apex lesions, and temporal bone malignancies. Four chapters are devoted to the facial nerve, including facial nerve repair as well as reinnervation and reanimation techniques. In chapter 16, the work-up and surgical approaches to glomus tumors are reviewed. Eleven chapters are devoted to the work-up and surgical treatment of patients with vestibular disorders such as Meniere’s disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and vascular cross compression syndromes. Surgical techniques include endolymphatic shunt, various approaches for vestibular neurectomy and labyrinthectomy, cochleosacculotomy, singular neurectomy, and microvascular decompression. The remainder of the book deals primarily with cerebella-pontine angle and pertroclival tumors. This begins with an in-depth chapter on the translabyrinthine approach including detailed tips and pitfalls as well as a section on how to handle surgical complications. Other approaches discussed include middle cranial fossa, retrosigmoid, transsigmoid, transcochlear, petrosal, and transtentorial approaches. Auditory implants in the brainstem are described in one of the final chapters. This is followed by a review of intraoperative cranial nerve monitoring techniques. As a bonus,
REVIEWS
the last chapter deals with preoperative informed consent and contains the informed consent forms used at the House Ear Clinic. In summary, Otoneurosurgery and Lateral Skull Base Surgery is a well-written and illustrated, concise, and inexpensive text that would be a welcome addition to the library of the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon interested in neurotology and skull base surgery. Seth Rosenberg,
MD, FACS Sarasota, FL
Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Neoplasms by Chiu-Chen Wang, MD. New York, NY, WileyLiss, 1997, 387 pages, 251 illustrations, $110.00. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of radiation therapy for neoplastic disease of the head and neck. The author accomplishes this by focusing on treatment techniques, management philosophy, and treatment results. This is the third edition of the book that has been updated to reflect the significant changes (such as altered fractionation therapy) that have occurred in the field since the last edition was published in 1990. This book contains 18 chapters that are of variable length and are all written by Dr Wang, Clinical Professor of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), an individual whose work is frequently cited at multidisciplinary head and neck tumor boards across the country. The excellent text is complemented by graphs, clinical photographs, charts, tables, anatomic line drawings, and radiographs. The legends that accompany the illustrations are clear and concise. The figures depicting the lymphatic drainage pathways and the high risk nodal areas of the various head and neck sites are especially helpful. Tables appear throughout the book that summarize treatment results from the literature as well as from the MGH. At the end of each chapter, references are provided for further reading. Unfortunately, there are relatively few up-to-date references included. As one would expect, this text emphasizes the radiation oncologist’s viewpoint and therefore the reader would need to look elsewhere for more detailed discussions on the multidisciplinary approach to head and neck cancer. However, it is this perspective that is so important for the surgeon to be exposed to because of the key role radiation therapy plays in the current management of head and neck neoplasms. For practical purposes, the book can be divided into three sections. The first section consists of four chapters that provide background information and cover basic concepts and principles of radiobiology, technical considerations in the administration of radiation therapy, and dental management. The next section of the book, Chapters 5 through 16, covers the specifics of radiation therapy of neoplasms involving a wide variety of anatomic subsites in the head and neck including the skin, oral
BOOK
REVIEWS
cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, sinonasal tract, salivary glands, temporal and skull base, and eye, but excluding thyroid and parathyroid. Each of the chapters is organized so that it covers background information about the site (ie, demographics, anatomic considerations, and diagnostic issues), selection of therapy, technical pointers, results (both the literature and MGH), and a summary. There are also chapters on the management of the unknown primary and “miscellaneous” tumors such as plasmacytomas and lymphomas. The final section of the book includes chapters on complications of radiation and future prospects of radiation therapy for head and neck tumors.
437
Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Neoplasms is a well-organized, well-illustrated, affordable, and easy-to-read text that should be a good source of information on radiotherapy for surgeons specializing in head and neck oncology whether they are practicing otolaryngologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, or general surgeons. I would not recommend that the resident in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery read this one cover to cover, but I would recommend it for the resident’s library so that it would be available as a reference text. John R. Wanamaker Syracuse, NY