Pediatric Imaging: Rapid-Fire Questions and Answers

F. Quattromani, G.A. Handal, and R. Lampe, eds.

New York, NY: Thieme, 2008, 436 pages, $49.95

Pediatric Imaging: Rapid-Fire Questions and Answers has a stated purpose of providing “a comprehensive overview of common and rare problems in pediatric radiology” and a “thorough preparation for board examination and recertification exams in radiology, pediatrics, and nursing. Residents will find the book to be an indispensable tool for preparing to handle difficult, rapid-fire questioning by chief residents and attendings.”

The book has 20 chapters, starting with “Airway/Head and Neck” and ending with “Vascular Anomalies.” The topics within each chapter are arranged alphabetically, with the master index at the front. The entire book is a series of quiz questions by individual topic. The format varies between chapters, including questions with single-paragraph answers, multiple-choice questions, true-or-false questions, and matching options, as well as a few lists of differential diagnoses. There are no images, diagrams, or other illustrations. With more than 60 contributors and dozens of acknowledgments, this book reflects the collective work of faculty, fellows, and residents in pediatrics and radiology; a few other specialists; and medical students.

The most desirable feature of this book is its broad scope. Hundreds of common pediatric clinical entities are included, such as common syndromes, many with diagnostic criteria and staging. Topics are relatively easy to find using the master index. Many of the question responses are insightfully stated, and one can gather truly helpful information in a short reading time.

This is by no means an imaging textbook; brief descriptions of imaging findings, when relevant, accompany the clinical information for each entity. The information, although generally highly relevant in content, is at times oversimplified. Some chapters, especially “Pediatric Cardiac Imaging,” “Musculoskeletal Disorders (Osteoradiology),” and “Pediatric Neuroimaging,” were especially frustrating to read without images to review. There are no textbook or article references, leaving the reader to verify this information independently. The chapters “Allergy/Rheumatology/Immunology” and “Pediatric Interventional Radiology” are limited in content. The chapters “Conscious Sedation” and “Contrast Agents and Radiation Protection” provide useful facts but no practical guidance for decision making.

This book fulfills its mission of being a ready source of concise information on many pediatric disease entities. Although not a comprehensive source of information on any subject, it would serve as a quick lookup on a large number of topics in preparation for definitive reading or brief review. Pediatric or radiology residents may find this format helpful for in-training or board examinations, but the book would be of limited value to experienced pediatric clinicians or radiologists.