- Email: [email protected]
The Essential Neurosurgical Companion
Book Review
Christopher M. Loftus, M.D.
section on Daily Essentials, which focuses on the development of on-call-skills, rapid examination of comatose patients, and so on. Of course, one might question the necessity of describing the content of the pockets of a neurosurgical trainee’s coat. However, the importance that needs to be devoted to staying organized under complex and demanding situations, which may require a clear mind, clear prioritization, and multitasking capacity, cannot be overemphasized.
Section Editor, Book Reviews Publications for consideration should be forwarded to: Christopher M. Loftus, M.D. WORLD NEUROSURGERY, Section Editor, Book Reviews Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine 2160 South First Avenue Bldg. 105, Room 1900 Maywood, IL 60153
The Essential Neurosurgical Companion Jaime Gasco, Remi Nader, editors Thieme New York, 2012 1072 pages $99.99 ISBN 978 1 60406 735 4 EISBN 978 1 60406 736 1
A
fter having travelled for a month to a variety of places with this book, my wife asked me: “Why do you always carry this book with you? Do you ever read it?” And I replied to her, “This is supposed to by my Essential Neurosurgical Companion, and I look into it when needed.” It is thus timely to arrive at a conclusion concerning the usefulness of this book. In the beginning, I was surprised to find a softcover volume of that weight! I asked myself how the authors had defined the word “essential” for a 1038-page book, especially in the light of the fact that in scientific bookstores one might be able to find two-page printouts on, for instance, the essentials of solid state physics or of macroeconomics. But here we are discussing neurosurgery, and I am delighted to report that this book is enriching and complete—in the beginning. It is a 34-author, 77-chapter book, which is not dedicated to general neurosurgery alone but to related issues, such as preparation of residency, or of board exams and presentations, basic instrument knowledge, and hierarchization of priorities as well. Thus, after a chapter on important neurosurgical abbreviations in the introductory section of the book, there are others on quality assessment and medicolegal aspects and ethics, for example, which contain important knowledge for the young (i.e., “NEVER whine, complain, or make excuses” while rotating on a neurosurgery service, p. 16) and experienced (i.e., a short chapter on relationships with vendors) neurosurgeon. I like in particular the
236
www.SCIENCEDIRECT.com
And here, the authors are closing a gap to other strictly clinically oriented textbooks—as they outline the very essentials of the organization of daily routine, including concise neurological examining and the management of patient transfers. The chapters on neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropathology, and so on are essentially based on a question-answer system: “What stain highlights toxoplasma? Giemsa.” (p. 209). This is somewhat unusual, and I personally had to get used to it as it is somewhat counterintuitive at first. However, I would assume that this is the way American residents are being trained to respond to essential questions, and it may be useful during their preparations for their written board exams. Depending on to what extent one is a visual person, it may be conceived cumbersome to read all these questions (“What are the saccule and utricle?” “What are the ampullae?” p. 251) for pages and pages without any figures interpositioned. All this fundamental knowledge should have been acquired during an earlier stage of training already, I would assume, and thus these questions should merely trigger the right reflex to a correct answer. These chapters are ending with a dedicated list of essential references on the respective subject. This section on fundamentals is followed by a section on neurology, and there are more on coma, neuro-oncology, radiosurgery, pituitary, skull base, spine, neurovascular, neurotrauma, neurocritical care, neuroanesthesia, on functional neurosurgery, pediatric, and hydrocephalus. I didn’t read the whole book thoroughly, as I think at my advanced age there might be more important (belletristic) books to read which come with 1100 pages. But as I happened to travel to Africa with the Companion, I looked at specific chapters in which I felt confident to be familiar with all relevant literature on the subject, and I looked at the others more rapidly. Although I was thrilled with the layout and about the overall concept of the book in the first sections (i.e., on fundamentals, or on surgical instruments), I became less excited when wandering through the clinical part. The clinical chapters were equally built in this question-answer way, which in my opinion may be very helpful for a lecturer in neurosurgery who is looking for good and relevant questions to ask, or for the neurosurgical trainee who is preparing for a structured oral exam. It is, however, a lot more difficult to make practical use of the book when looking for rapid answers and solutions to a particular clinical problem. Despite its clearly practical orientation in the beginning, it would have been good had the authors taken more practical clinical aspects into account as well. For instance, it would have helpful to have illustrations of the standard craniotomies and a table of
WORLD NEUROSURGERY, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2013.03.043
Book Review
pitfalls aside, or there is an abundance of important neurological and neurosurgical scales available in the literature that are used now in daily clinical practice. These can (or can’t) be found in the midst of each question-and-answer chapter, and they should have been presented at the beginning of each chapter (i.e., on vascular, or on trauma) or somewhere else in the book in a separate section. Thus, in the end the Companion doesn’t fulfill the premise from its title, or those of the early sections, of being essential. Had I the choice when traveling with one comprehensive paperback book only to developing countries, then I would rather pack the Handbook of Neurosurgery for the sake of completeness and the possibility to study and to digest the knowledge, as opposed to rehearse preprepared answers. For example, the chapter on degenerative spinal disease is not very practically oriented. It cannot be considered comprehensive, either, because of a lack of secondary literature. Here, for example, referral to the SPORT (Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial) trial is missing, although this is generally accepted as one of the most important contemporary randomized controlled trials in the field. All in all, the book leaves me with mixed feelings. I really liked the early sections on essentials and the descriptions facilitating the surgeon’s daily struggle with routine as a neurosurgical trainee. And, despite being a multiauthor book, the editors have achieved a good result with a good general and comprehensive tone. According to the cover writing, the publishers believe that
“residents involved in neurosurgery around the globe will want this compelling guide in their armamentarium..” This holds true in part only because of the aforementioned shortcomings. Whereas the first part of the book is very useful and equally refreshing from a more universal point of view, the second part is aiming very much at the American market, which is the largest neurosurgical market in the world for the time being and a very much innovation-driven one. And this is illustrative of the corporate spirit of the American neurosurgeons as well, many of whom are trained in leading world-class institutions of their kind. The Essential Companion could become a classic in the United States, but it would need to be adapted for the European or Asian market. For example, the chapter on medical Spanish may be less relevant in other societies. In conclusion, the book certainly is a valid addition to any young North American neurosurgeon’s library but less essential for the world-wide community. Karl Schaller, M.D. Head, Neurosurgical Unit, University of Geneva Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland
1878 8750/$ see front matter ª 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2013.03.043
CONTACT THE EDITORIAL OFFICE WORLD NEUROSURGERY (ISSN 1878-8750) is published monthly by Elsevier Inc., 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710. Editorial Correspondence: Michael L.J. Apuzzo, M.D., Ph.D. (Hon) WORLD NEUROSURGERY Editor-in-Chief 1420 San Pablo Street, PMB A-106 Los Angeles, CA 90033 Tel: (323) 442-3001, Fax: (323) 442-3002 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.WORLDNEUROSURGERY.org
WORLD NEUROSURGERY 80 [3/4]: 236 237, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
www.WORLDNEUROSURGERY.org
237
Christopher M. Loftus, M.D.
section on Daily Essentials, which focuses on the development of on-call-skills, rapid examination of comatose patients, and so on. Of course, one might question the necessity of describing the content of the pockets of a neurosurgical trainee’s coat. However, the importance that needs to be devoted to staying organized under complex and demanding situations, which may require a clear mind, clear prioritization, and multitasking capacity, cannot be overemphasized.
Section Editor, Book Reviews Publications for consideration should be forwarded to: Christopher M. Loftus, M.D. WORLD NEUROSURGERY, Section Editor, Book Reviews Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine 2160 South First Avenue Bldg. 105, Room 1900 Maywood, IL 60153
The Essential Neurosurgical Companion Jaime Gasco, Remi Nader, editors Thieme New York, 2012 1072 pages $99.99 ISBN 978 1 60406 735 4 EISBN 978 1 60406 736 1
A
fter having travelled for a month to a variety of places with this book, my wife asked me: “Why do you always carry this book with you? Do you ever read it?” And I replied to her, “This is supposed to by my Essential Neurosurgical Companion, and I look into it when needed.” It is thus timely to arrive at a conclusion concerning the usefulness of this book. In the beginning, I was surprised to find a softcover volume of that weight! I asked myself how the authors had defined the word “essential” for a 1038-page book, especially in the light of the fact that in scientific bookstores one might be able to find two-page printouts on, for instance, the essentials of solid state physics or of macroeconomics. But here we are discussing neurosurgery, and I am delighted to report that this book is enriching and complete—in the beginning. It is a 34-author, 77-chapter book, which is not dedicated to general neurosurgery alone but to related issues, such as preparation of residency, or of board exams and presentations, basic instrument knowledge, and hierarchization of priorities as well. Thus, after a chapter on important neurosurgical abbreviations in the introductory section of the book, there are others on quality assessment and medicolegal aspects and ethics, for example, which contain important knowledge for the young (i.e., “NEVER whine, complain, or make excuses” while rotating on a neurosurgery service, p. 16) and experienced (i.e., a short chapter on relationships with vendors) neurosurgeon. I like in particular the
236
www.SCIENCEDIRECT.com
And here, the authors are closing a gap to other strictly clinically oriented textbooks—as they outline the very essentials of the organization of daily routine, including concise neurological examining and the management of patient transfers. The chapters on neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropathology, and so on are essentially based on a question-answer system: “What stain highlights toxoplasma? Giemsa.” (p. 209). This is somewhat unusual, and I personally had to get used to it as it is somewhat counterintuitive at first. However, I would assume that this is the way American residents are being trained to respond to essential questions, and it may be useful during their preparations for their written board exams. Depending on to what extent one is a visual person, it may be conceived cumbersome to read all these questions (“What are the saccule and utricle?” “What are the ampullae?” p. 251) for pages and pages without any figures interpositioned. All this fundamental knowledge should have been acquired during an earlier stage of training already, I would assume, and thus these questions should merely trigger the right reflex to a correct answer. These chapters are ending with a dedicated list of essential references on the respective subject. This section on fundamentals is followed by a section on neurology, and there are more on coma, neuro-oncology, radiosurgery, pituitary, skull base, spine, neurovascular, neurotrauma, neurocritical care, neuroanesthesia, on functional neurosurgery, pediatric, and hydrocephalus. I didn’t read the whole book thoroughly, as I think at my advanced age there might be more important (belletristic) books to read which come with 1100 pages. But as I happened to travel to Africa with the Companion, I looked at specific chapters in which I felt confident to be familiar with all relevant literature on the subject, and I looked at the others more rapidly. Although I was thrilled with the layout and about the overall concept of the book in the first sections (i.e., on fundamentals, or on surgical instruments), I became less excited when wandering through the clinical part. The clinical chapters were equally built in this question-answer way, which in my opinion may be very helpful for a lecturer in neurosurgery who is looking for good and relevant questions to ask, or for the neurosurgical trainee who is preparing for a structured oral exam. It is, however, a lot more difficult to make practical use of the book when looking for rapid answers and solutions to a particular clinical problem. Despite its clearly practical orientation in the beginning, it would have been good had the authors taken more practical clinical aspects into account as well. For instance, it would have helpful to have illustrations of the standard craniotomies and a table of
WORLD NEUROSURGERY, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2013.03.043
Book Review
pitfalls aside, or there is an abundance of important neurological and neurosurgical scales available in the literature that are used now in daily clinical practice. These can (or can’t) be found in the midst of each question-and-answer chapter, and they should have been presented at the beginning of each chapter (i.e., on vascular, or on trauma) or somewhere else in the book in a separate section. Thus, in the end the Companion doesn’t fulfill the premise from its title, or those of the early sections, of being essential. Had I the choice when traveling with one comprehensive paperback book only to developing countries, then I would rather pack the Handbook of Neurosurgery for the sake of completeness and the possibility to study and to digest the knowledge, as opposed to rehearse preprepared answers. For example, the chapter on degenerative spinal disease is not very practically oriented. It cannot be considered comprehensive, either, because of a lack of secondary literature. Here, for example, referral to the SPORT (Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial) trial is missing, although this is generally accepted as one of the most important contemporary randomized controlled trials in the field. All in all, the book leaves me with mixed feelings. I really liked the early sections on essentials and the descriptions facilitating the surgeon’s daily struggle with routine as a neurosurgical trainee. And, despite being a multiauthor book, the editors have achieved a good result with a good general and comprehensive tone. According to the cover writing, the publishers believe that
“residents involved in neurosurgery around the globe will want this compelling guide in their armamentarium..” This holds true in part only because of the aforementioned shortcomings. Whereas the first part of the book is very useful and equally refreshing from a more universal point of view, the second part is aiming very much at the American market, which is the largest neurosurgical market in the world for the time being and a very much innovation-driven one. And this is illustrative of the corporate spirit of the American neurosurgeons as well, many of whom are trained in leading world-class institutions of their kind. The Essential Companion could become a classic in the United States, but it would need to be adapted for the European or Asian market. For example, the chapter on medical Spanish may be less relevant in other societies. In conclusion, the book certainly is a valid addition to any young North American neurosurgeon’s library but less essential for the world-wide community. Karl Schaller, M.D. Head, Neurosurgical Unit, University of Geneva Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland
1878 8750/$ see front matter ª 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2013.03.043
CONTACT THE EDITORIAL OFFICE WORLD NEUROSURGERY (ISSN 1878-8750) is published monthly by Elsevier Inc., 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-1710. Editorial Correspondence: Michael L.J. Apuzzo, M.D., Ph.D. (Hon) WORLD NEUROSURGERY Editor-in-Chief 1420 San Pablo Street, PMB A-106 Los Angeles, CA 90033 Tel: (323) 442-3001, Fax: (323) 442-3002 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.WORLDNEUROSURGERY.org
WORLD NEUROSURGERY 80 [3/4]: 236 237, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
www.WORLDNEUROSURGERY.org
237