Nadgir R, Yousem DM. Neuroradiology: The Requisites. 4th ed. Elsevier; 2017; 640 pp; 1200 ill; $109.99
In the 4th edition (2017) of the remarkably successful Neuroradiology: The Requisites, Drs. Nadgir and Yousem offer a text that follows the same format and style as the 3rd edition (2010). Before even diving into the material itself, one immediately notices improvements (e.g., larger font size, higher-quality paper, and sharper image quality with many new images).
The 17 chapters have the same titles as before and, as is the custom these days, the book comes with a scratch off code, which allows the owner of the book to access the eBook. Only the chapter “Techniques in Neuroimaging” (included in the 3rd edition) has been dropped from this edition. The very first edition by Grossman and Yousem broke the mold of radiology textbooks, as it included humor in many places (some of which was very good). This prevented one from dozing off while reading the text and also allowed key information to stick. There is an attempt in the present edition to retain some of that, but there are fewer instances of a humorous touch.
If one book were to be recommend to all residents (and fellows) beginning their neuroradiology experience, this would be the one. As expected, much of the material displays classic findings which, of course, is the objective of this 630-page hardcover book. The chapters include information on cranial anatomy, brain neoplasms, vascular disease of the brain, head trauma, infections/inflammatory diseases of the brain, white matter disease, neurodegenerative disease and hydrocephalus, congenital anomalies of the CNS, orbit, sella and central skull base, temporal bone, sinonasal disease, mucosal and nodal disease of the head and neck, extramucosol disease of the head and neck, anatomy and degenerative disease of the spine, nondegenerative disease of the spine, and approaches and pitfalls in neuroimaging. The illustrations in these chapters indicate a significant upgrade in image quality. For example, the demonstration of mesial temporal sclerosis is crisp in this edition. The text also includes color images of orbital anatomy, color plates of many areas that were grayscaled in prior editions (these enormously enhance the readability of the material), and in many areas, an incorporation of more clinical material. The authors took particular pains to show and describe entities better; for instance, this edition showcases beautiful drawings of some of the ossicular prostheses. Selected CT images of these prostheses are not included, but that is to be expected in a relatively compact book that surveys the field of neuroradiology. That is also true of other areas; it is just impossible to include all the material that would be of interest to a neuroradiologist. It does surprise this reviewer that the section on the spine is relatively short (77 pages) and represents just over 10% of the book. Perhaps a 5th edition will concentrate more on the spine.
Even if you or your library has previous editions of this book, the 4th edition is highly recommended. It is particularly important for every department or sectional library to have a copy. It should be required reading for all trainees and, incidentally, a good refresher for all those who practice neuroradiology.
