Mamourian A. Brain CT essentials. https://www.medmastery.com
As part of the Medmastery catalog of online medical tutorials, Dr. Mamourian has developed excellent lectures on brain CT essentials, which require approximately 3 hours of viewing time and can be split into small segments of viewing time as desired. The material can be reviewed and replayed.
In this educational tool, there are 8 chapters, each of which contains multiple sections and all of which are narrated by Dr. Mamourian in a clear, unrushed manner.
This video presentation covers basic anatomy/concepts in brain CT: trauma, stroke imaging, non-traumatic hemorrhage, brain tumor imaging, seizures/epilepsy, metabolic/infectious/demyelination, and skull abnormalities. Within each of these 8 categories there are a number of segments (from 3 to 6, depending on the subject matter, and each takes an average of 4 minutes to view). Overall, there are 36 segments. At the end of each category, there is a quiz with 5 questions, which covers the key points of the prior lecture. After each question, the registrants can click on the explanation given by Dr. Mamourian for the correct answer; this is particularly helpful for any question for which an incorrect answer was given. At the conclusion of the video the registrants may apply for Category 1 CME credits and a certificate is then mailed to them.
Without going into each of these categories and chapters in detail, the reader of this review should be aware of the exceptional value of this educational tool. The images selected are of high quality and the MRI correlates are commonly shown, along with DSA images as needed for completeness. Embedded in each lecture are well-constructed drawings, which help the viewer better appreciate the material being presented. What the person who views this material will come away with is an understanding of the features of major intracranial diseases, the potential pitfalls in imaging interpretation, a sense of the important clinical correlates, and what additional studies should be performed. To list all the key findings and concepts contained in the video would make this review unwieldy and unnecessarily long, but the reader of this review can rest assured that all the basic (and in some cases more advanced) CT imaging is included.
There is no doubt that online educational material such as this will become the dominant teaching modality as we move to the future. This video should be required viewing by all junior residents before they start either their neuroradiology or ER rotations. As the more senior residents prepare for Part 1 of their ABR exam, this tool should be made available to them for review. Also, these video lectures should be viewed by residents starting their neurology residencies.
The brain CT essentials course as obtained online through Medmastery is highly recommended. Dr. Mamourian is to be congratulated for a masterful job in developing this educational tool.
