Anzai Y, Fink KR. Imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury. Thieme; 2015; 200 pp; 600 ill; $99.99
In a heavily and well-illustrated textbook, Imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury, Drs. Anzai and Fink have with the help of thirteen co-authors covered the topic of brain, skull, orbital, vascular, temporal bone, and maxillofacial trauma in a complete fashion. There are 12 chapters covering the epidemiology of traumatic brain injuries, evidence-based determinations for ordering of the imaging of the head, standard neuroimaging, the pathophysiologic basis for injury, pediatric head trauma, vascular injuries, penetrating injuries, skull base, facial trauma, orbital/ocular trauma, and advanced techniques in mild brain trauma. While many of the typical imaging findings are well known to those in neuroradiology, there are portions of this text which deserve special mention. The criteria for using CT for minor or major trauma is described in the criteria-based studies — the Canadian CT Head Rules, the New Orleans Imaging Criteria, Nexus Criteria, the American College of Emergency Physicians/CDC Guidelines. While no radiologist will remember the different Guidelines, at least one will know of the various criteria that are often used by emergency room/trauma physicians.
Because the issue of minor TBI is an emerging area of clinical and research interest, this topic is worth review, both in the initial part of the book and in the area dealing with advanced imaging.
Unfortunately, the title of the book is misleading, and that is to the disadvantage of both authors and the publishers. A number of those chapters deal with injuries other than brain; examples include facial trauma or ocular injury or vascular (neck) findings in blunt trauma.
Nonetheless, the material in each chapter is clearly described, the radiology images are excellent, and drawings to emphasize the imaging findings are helpful. Worth reviewing in this text are a number of important entities such as DAI, Duret hemorrhage, Kernohan notch syndrome, cerebral anoxia, special considerations in pediatric head trauma (eg, birth trauma, NAT, fractures), Denver Grading System for vascular injuries, and base of the skull/temporal bone fractures.
This is a recommended text, either as individual purchase or for a departmental library. Given the ubiquity of head and brain injuries and the urgency with which they must be treated, the information contained in this book is vital for all radiologists.
