James P, Dyck P, Engelstad JK, Low PA, Amrami KK, Spinner RJ, Klein CJ, eds. Companion to Peripheral Neuropathy: Illustrated Cases and New Developments. Saunders Elsevier 2010, 432 pages, $159.00.
This 432-page hard cover book, with activatable online search capability of the full text, is basically a collection of cases (predominately case reports) and short scientific reports. It is edited by Peter Dyck with 7 other co-editors and has 145 contributors, who have mainly co-authored case reports. Given that this is primarily a compendium of peripheral neuropathy, the value to the neuroradiologist will be relatively low, however there is material here which would appeal to those with a particularly interest in imaging the PNS. While the imaging per se is limited, one can imagine after reading through a number of the cases how high resolution 3T (or higher) MR could have added to the work up of the patients.
Basically there are approximately 70 cases in the 80 short chapters, and each of those cases teaches a lesson about the symptoms and the pathology (incidentally, the histopathology shown is excellent). The material runs from diseases (or disease manifestations) some of which this reviewer is totally unfamiliar to some of the more commonly expected diseases. For any future issue the authors should include in the chapter on MR technique, normal MR images of the brachial plexus, lumbosacral plexus and the major peripheral nerves accompanied by drawings of each of these areas. Emphasis on our varying techniques with and without contrast should be included.
A number of these short chapters have interest to the daily practice of neuroradiology such as neurolymphomatosis of the PNS, malignant nerve sheath tumors, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, adrenonmyeloneuropathy, Fabry’s disease, a surprising number of cases which were secondary to amyloid deposits, hereditary motor sensory neuropathies copper deficiency masquerading (imaging wise) as a primary vitamin B12 deficiency. Many of the clinical histories were sad, but the most distressing was a patient with an amyloid neuropathy resulting in a deteriorating golf handicap.
This book is worth viewing (borrow it from one of your neurology colleagues) or worth adding to a neuro section’s library.
