Towbin R, Baskin KM, eds. Pediatric Interventional Radiology. Cambridge University Press; 2015; 493 pp; 692 ill; $175.00
Pediatric interventional radiology is a unique subspecialty that bridges pediatric radiology and adult interventional radiology. Children have a unique set of pathology and challenges when compared to adults; children are not just small adults. Pediatric Interventional Radiology provides a comprehensive overview of this unique subspecialty, perfect for the trainee or radiologist whose practice encounters pediatric patients in need of a procedure.
The first chapter provides a great introduction and approach to pediatric interventional radiology. This section includes many pediatric-specific details, which would be useful for anyone performing pediatric procedures or fluoroscopy, not just the pediatric interventionalists. For example, in the absence of underlying pathology, routine labs are not always required prior to a pediatric procedure. There is a detailed discussion of analgesia and sedation in the pediatric patient, along with the weight-based doses and reversal agents, which is a very useful reference for any practitioner performing pediatric cases with sedation. There are specifics on how to minimize radiation while optimizing imaging, which is always key for pediatric imaging. Also included in the introduction is a thorough list of suggested equipment for a pediatric ready angiography suite, such as smaller French catheters and wires.
The book includes helpful photographs of images demonstrating techniques and devices. However, that being said, some of the images leave something to be desired. Not all of the images are appropriately cropped or windowed, making it difficult to see the finding. On occasion, an arrow was chosen in a color very close the background, making the reader search the image. A few older images appeared grainy and not what you would expect in a publication. The figure captions provided good detail but were not always on the same page as the corresponding images, making it difficult to flip back and forth. Additionally, there was sporadic use of color photographs, not always on the images where they would be of the most help.
Throughout the book there were very detailed and useful charts. The chapter on central venous catheters comes complete with a detailed Appendix suggesting guidelines such as “Blood drawing from a PICC or CVC” or “Accessing an implantable venous access device (IVAD port)”.
This book may be of limited interest to the neuroradiology audience, as there is no dedicated chapter to neurointerventions; instead, this subject matter is scattered throughout relevant sections. For example, embolization of the internal maxillary artery for epistaxis is included in the vascular interventions section, with no discussion of the specific technique. Sclerotherapy of head and neck lesions is also mixed in with body sclerotherapy and lacks a discussion of the specific concerns or techniques when dealing with head and neck lesions. On the contrary, the section on soft tissue interventions provides a detailed explanation of chemodenervation of the salivary glands and partial gland ablation and sclerotherapy of a ranula.
Overall, this book provides a great introduction to pediatric interventional radiology for the trainee or practitioner who occasionally encounters the pediatric patient. It is likely of limited interest to the neuroradiology audience due to the limited discussion of head and neck pathology.
