Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Neurology, edited by J.C.M. Brust, serves as a valuable softcover resource, offering a concise overview of central and peripheral nervous system diseases. Spanning 750 pages, this book effectively addresses the needs of neurology trainees seeking rapid and accessible information. For anyone in neurology training programs, this book promises to be a helpful tool for quickly grasping the essentials of neurological disorders.
While the 13-page chapter on neuroradiology provides a basic survey of neuroimaging, it’s clearly not designed for specialists in radiology. It seems that closer collaboration with a neuroradiologist throughout the book could have enhanced its accuracy, particularly in the image descriptions. For instance, the review points out errors such as an inverted CT scan (Fig 11–3), a mislabeled plain MR imaging as a contrast scan (Fig 12–4), and issues with image quality and labeling (Figs 18–7, 26–5). Furthermore, there are descriptions that could be more precise, such as a tumor described as “rim enhancing” when it appears to be a densely enhancing mass with a central cyst (Fig 12–2), and figures with findings beyond those described in the caption (Fig 26–1).
Despite these shortcomings in the neuroradiology section, this book offers considerable value, especially as a clinical adjunct for neuroradiologists. It provides easily accessible descriptions of numerous diseases, encompassing pathogenesis, clinical findings, diagnostic studies, differential diagnosis, treatment strategies, and prognosis. For neuroradiologists, its strength lies in quickly retrieving information on less frequently encountered entities such as neoplastic syndromes, movement disorders, peripheral neuropathies, various motor neuron diseases, autonomic disorders, and muscle diseases. This makes it a practical resource for broadening clinical understanding beyond imaging specifics in neurology.
Interestingly, the book seems to lack substantial content on neurologic disorders of childhood, which might limit its scope for some trainees. However, the primary audience for Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Neurology is likely medical students and first-year neurology residents. For these individuals, the book’s concise format and broad coverage of essential topics in current diagnosis & treatment neurology make it a highly suitable and efficient learning tool. It serves its purpose as a quick, accessible guide for those starting their journey in neurology.
