Roos KL, ed. Emergency Neurology.  Springer 2012, 394 pages, 81 illustrations, $149.

This 394-page hardcover book is directed primarily at junior level neurologists and emergency room physicians, and as a result, the chapters contain only minimal information which would be of value to neuroradiologists. As you think about it, much of what we do on a daily basis, particularly in a large medical center, could be considered emergency neurology, or at the minimum, urgent radiology. Although this book is easy to read it fails to convey anything beyond the most elementary aspects of the neurological conditions being considered.

The book is edited by Dr. Roos, and there are 36 authors who have contributed to the 19 chapters. While a few areas of the book do not relate directly to neuroimaging, most of the material does. The chapters are: headaches, LBP emergencies, dizziness/vertigo, syncope, acute loss of vision, diplopia, CN7 palsy, stroke, ICH, seizures, CNS infections, Guillain-Barre, cord compression, movement disorders, encephalopathy, acute respiratory failure, coma/brain death, neurotoxicology, and substance abuse. One can see how nearly all of these could relate back to emergencies.

The writing and depth of each subject varies from chapter to chapter. For example, surprisingly, in the stroke chapter there is no mention of perfusion metrics, either with CT or MR, to judge the penumbra; as a result this chapter is at best a survey of the issues involved in stroke. Similarly, in the chapter on myelopathies, the information is scant. Perhaps in some areas of emergency neurology there may be minor indications for urgent imaging, such as in movement disorders, but they are limited; this chapter, incidentally, comes with no images.

In summary, for neuroradiologists this book cannot be recommended. The material is too superficial in all areas in which neuroimaging plays a role.