Wanebo JE, Khan N, Zabramski JM, Spetzler RR, eds. Moyamoya Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment. 1st Ed. Thieme; 2013; 224 pgs; 186 illustrations; $139.99
Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by progressive stenosis of the intracranial internal carotid arteries and their proximal branches. Although rare, MMD can be seen in both children and adults and there is growing evidence that once recognized, this disease needs to be treated aggressively.
Moyamoya Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment is a comprehensive textbook that deals with all the facets of this interesting and unique disease entity, including the classification, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and management.
The book has been divided into three sections. The first section deals with the classification, natural history, and pathophysiology and diagnosis of this disease entity. To me, the first chapter, which nicely classifies and differentiates the disease from the syndrome, was particularly interesting because I have never really been able to understand the differentiation between the two. There are a couple of chapters that deal with the neuroimaging findings of MMD. The second section deals with the various types of revascularization procedures performed in the treatment of this disease entity and is one of the highlights of this book. The accompanying pictorial diagrams are descriptive and serve as a guide in understanding these complicated procedures, which would be useful to the radiologist when evaluating the complex imaging findings following these procedures. The third section of the book discusses the long-term outcome in patients with MMD, and would be particularly useful to clinicians in dealing with the treatment and follow-up of affected patients and their families.
Another highlight of this book is the online access to multiple, short 2–3-minute videos. The initial few videos describe the pathophysiology of this disease entity and are accompanied by excellent artist renditions. There are also other videos demonstrating the various revascularization procedures during surgery in the operating room.
This book is edited by authors who are well-recognized authorities in the field of neurosurgery, with contributions from neurosurgical groups in Boston, Phoenix, Japan, and Zurich.
Limitations of this book are few, if any. Firstly, the scope of this book is limited to a rare disease, which would be of interest to a select group of physicians dealing with this entity on a regular basis. Secondly, I felt that the radiologic findings, particularly those following the various complex revascularization procedures, would have been better illustrated with more images. Although the images provided are of excellent resolution and detail, they are slightly smaller than expected, possibly due to space constraints.
Overall, this is one of the most comprehensive books on Moyamoya disease and can serve as a reference book not only for neurosurgeons, neurologists and neuroradiologists but also for physicians from other specialties who are involved in the care of patients with this disease entity.
