Harbaugh RE, Shaffrey C, Couldwell WT, Berger MS, eds. Neurosurgery Knowledge Update: A Comprehensive Review. Thieme; 2015; 984 pp; 321 ill; $249.99

In 157 chapters, each dealing with a specific disease or set of similar diseases, the editors (Drs. Harbaugh, Shaffrey, Couldwell, and Berger) and contributors (289) have put together topics that we deal with nearly every day. They do that in an interesting and provocative manner so that a case is presented along with the images. The reader is then asked to answer a number of multiple choice questions (4 to 10). Following this, a couple of pages are devoted in general to a description of the abnormality, including clinical presentation imaging evaluation, surgical/non-surgical treatment, the answers to the questions, and a summary. While the book was clearly written with the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) and the MOC for the ABNS in mind, this publication has substantial material for the neuroradiologist. It is important that we gain as full appreciation as possible of the concepts neurological surgeons feel are important or critical. Often these do not coincide with what we as radiologists feel are important. This is brought to the forefront when one attempts to answer the questions put to the reader. A challenge to all neuroradiologists would be to go from chapter to chapter and determine their own proportion of correct answers. To be familiar with what exactly neurosurgeons are expected to know is helpful when presenting at or attending joint neurosurgical/imaging conferences.

There are a variable number of chapters within each section and subsection. The major sections are:

• Cerebrovascular
• Functional Neurosurgery
• Epilepsy
• Movement Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Pediatrics
• Spine Peripheral Nerves
• Trauma and Critical Care
• Tumors/Neuro-oncology

Clearly, this 984-page hardcover does not cover every issue that a neurosurgeon faces, and does not cover all the neurological and ENT cases a neuroradiologists faces, but it does address the important topics with which we should be familiar.

The book is quit engaging, is an easy read (although it is to be done in relatively small aliquots), and has details that can be immediately applied to your practice. For those who create lectures for residents, fellows, or CME courses, the key points in each chapter are worth integrating into the lecture material, and this is especially true if one intends to use an audience-response system in their presentation.

This book is a recomemnded purchase for a neuroradiology library and even for an individual’s own collection.