Biller J. Practical Neurology. Fourth Ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012; 747 pages; $99.00.
For those radiologists who have a robust practice in neurological imaging, it is important to have a ready resource related to clinical neurology. This 747-page softcover book is written in outline form and comprises 2 sections: “Diagnosis” and “Treatment.” The section on diagnosis has 35 chapters, each dealing with separate conditions. Examples are aphasia, dysarthria, hearing loss, etc. Each chapter follows a varying but somewhat similar pattern with, in general, the following parts: etiology, clinical manifestation, evaluation, differential diagnosis, diagnostic approach, and recommended reading. Each chapter has adequate tables/charts. Imaging is scattered throughout with some pertinent examples. A separate 13-page chapter on neuroimaging is meant for the neurologist, and is elementary in content.
The second section is entitled “Treatment” and would therefore in general be of less interest to the neuroradiologist compared to section 1. Here, treatments for the major neurologic disorders are discussed in 23 separate chapters. Some, however, are important, especially when it comes to the evolution of treatment of acute cerebral ischemia, or the current treatment of CNS neoplasms or AIDS.
This is a reasonable, easily read, informative text on the primary neurological disorders we constantly encounter. It deserves a spot in a neuro section’s library.
