Direct Diagnosis in Radiology: Pediatric Imaging is a book from a series by the publishing company Thieme that presents short outlines with images describing various diagnoses in Radiology. The pediatric imaging volume is about 350 pages and is small enough to fit in a white coat pocket (though it is a bit heavy for that use). The book presents many of the most important radiologic diagnoses in children in a brief, high-yield format. This book would be perhaps best suited for radiologists who do not specialize in pediatrics but occasionally encounter relatively unfamiliar pediatric diseases as well as residents who are looking for a quick, targeted review of key diagnoses.
The book is divided into seven chapters by body section. Each chapter contains approximately 10 to 20 specific diagnoses, presented in about 2 to 4 pages of bulleted information with images. The major headings for each diagnosis are Definition, Imaging Signs, Clinical Aspects, Differential Diagnosis, and Tips and Pitfalls. The definition section presents the diagnosis and covers such topics as epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, and risk factors. The imaging signs section covers the imaging appearance of the disorder divided up into subsections by modality, discussing the relevant modalities to that disease and often discussing which is more useful than others. The section on clinical aspects discusses the typical presentation, treatment, course and prognosis, and complications of a condition. In the differential diagnosis section, various differential conditions are discussed, including both diagnoses elsewhere discussed in the book and disorders not elsewhere covered. The tips and pitfalls section presents a miscellaneous assortment of pearls specific to a given condition such as potential reasons for misdiagnosis and imaging techniques that may be useful. A Selected References section is included as well at the end of each diagnosis.
One of the strengths of this book is the outline format which is consistent from diagnosis to diagnosis. The use of blue and black ink, bold and bulleted text, and similar placement of information for each disorder make comparing a certain aspect of a diagnosis, such as ultrasound appearance, very easy. The bullets under the subheadings are in paragraph format with bullets between each point rather than one point per line. Although this formatting makes the points a little more difficult to scan at a glance, the book would be significantly larger otherwise. The images tend to be small, as expected for a book of this size, but are generally large enough that the salient finding is readily apparent. The differential section is useful as it typically gives features distinguishing the diagnosis being discussed and the alternatives mentioned. The tips and pitfalls section is often like a seasoned radiologist sharing pearls of wisdom with a trainee to keep them out of trouble and presents frequently useful reminders. Finally, the selected references provide a springboard to key articles on a given topic, and the selections are generally solid.
In any pocket-style title such as this, many diagnoses will be left out, and this volume is no exception. Although the choice of topics is overall useful in covering the major illnesses specific to children, a brief mention of a few additional diagnoses would have been helpful. Though epiglottitis, for example, is relatively rare today, the importance of not missing this diagnosis for the patient and its unique imaging characteristics would make it a useful addition to the book. A few typographical errors are present, and there is occasional inconsistency in naming disorders (such as using “duplication of the aortic arch” in the differential diagnosis sections and “double aortic arch” in the heading for that disorder), which are likely a byproduct of translation of the text to English.
Overall, this book is useful as quick reference source for key information about selected major diagnoses in pediatric imaging, but is not comprehensive enough for any serious study of the subspecialty.
Ratings:
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Grading Key
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<