Musculoskeletal Diseases: Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Techniques
G.K. Von Schulthess and Ch.L. Zollikofer, eds.
Milan, Italy: Springer-Verlag Italia, 2005, 192 pages, $89.95
This book will be of interest to radiologists, fellows, residents, and others who seek state-of-the-art updates concerning tightly defined topical subjects in musculoskeletal radiology. The purpose of the book is, in the editors' words, to provide “a condensed version of the contents” of talks presented at the International Diagnostic Course in Davos (IDKD) in early 2005. The book was provided to course registrants so they might “concentrate on the lectures and participate in the discussions without the need of taking notes.”
Twenty-seven papers are collated—each providing the perspective of one or more internationally recognized experts in the particular topic. Topics covered include individual joints (shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist, hip, knee, foot and ankle), muscle, tumors (soft tissue, bone), bone marrow, metabolic and systemic conditions, orthopedic prostheses, traumatic injury, arthropathies, and infections. A short section devoted to pediatric imaging includes nonaccidental injury, contrast enhancement of the growing skeleton, tumors, and inflammatory conditions. One paper summarizes musculoskeletal sonography.
The reader will encounter concise summaries of each selected topic in musculoskeletal imaging provided from the experienced vantage of a true expert in the field. The summaries are accurate and up to date. They are almost totally based on anatomic features as detected with conventional radiography or MRI. Published images are uniformly excellent and demonstrate specific important aspects of the conditions being considered. In general, the figures are few. The book was not intended to reproduce the spectrum of images shown at the conference. Some topics are more fully illustrated than are others. References are not comprehensive but are representative of important published works supporting the discussions. Most are current.
Although each paper has distinct value, I found several to be particularly helpful: “Radiology of Hand and Wrist Injuries” (pages 13–16), “Wrist and Hand” (pages 17–22), “Soft Tissue Tumors and Tumor-Like Masses: A Systematic Approach to Diagnosis” (pages 54–61), “Traumas of the Axial Skeleton” (pages 112–120), and “The Spectrum of Non-Accidental Injury and Its Imitators in Children” (pages 169–174). These topics seemed to optimally mix text and illustrations in a particularly informative manner.
A strength of this book is its emphasis on conventional radiography and MRI, but this feature is also a weakness because other imaging methods for the most part are not considered. For example, there is only a single scintigraphic image (a bone scan of the skull in a patient with Paget's disease of bone). CT fairs a bit better. Interventional techniques are promised by the book title but are not prominent in the book. Inclusion of ultrasonography is the single exception, and its coverage is representative of its role in modern musculoskeletal imaging.
As mentioned, although of excellent quality, the number of illustrations was deliberately limited. This feature will not much bother the experienced radiologist, but it may diminish the usefulness of the book for less experienced readers.
This book is a succinct record of the 2005 IDKD. It is certainly recommended to experienced radiologists who seek precise expert opinion in selected musculoskeletal topics. It is attractively printed on high-quality paper, with excellent reproduction of images. The short reference lists are good.
Disclosure
The reviewer was an invited member of the International Diagnostic Courses in Davos in 1987, 1988, and 1993. He is personally acquainted with many of the authors of the book being reviewed.