Khurana B, Mandell J, Sarma A, et al. Emergency Radiology COFFEE Case Book: Case-Oriented Fast Focused Effective Education. Cambridge University Press; 2016; 672 pp; 1425 ill; $155

This is well-constructed case based book (672 pages) on what is considered to be emergency imaging. Why the authors had to throw in the acronym COFFEE, for case-oriented fast focused effective education, in the title is unclear; this is not a “coffee table” book.

There are 2 sections, one devoted to nontraumatic abdomen, chest, ENT, brain, and musculoskeletal conditions, and the second devoted to traumatic brain, chest, abdomen, and musculoskeletal conditions. The former section illustrates and describes 54 cases, the latter 31 cases. For the neuroimaging portion, the cases are relatively commonplace for any ER/trauma center. They are well-imaged, well-described, and importantly, each case includes additional images that enter into the differential diagnosis. Not only in the ENT section but in a few other areas of the book, simple diagrams help in understanding the underlying imaging.

The 20 neuroradiology cases are well-chosen, and for any radiologist working in an ER these would be good to review, as would the images in other parts of the book. As we all know, it is often the subtle, easily missed finding buried in a stack of hundreds of images that is most demanding, particularly when evaluating a patient. Showing a single or a couple of images in a book where we know the finding is present is far less of a challenge than actually discovering the abnormality.

Nonetheless, the book would fit nicely in an ER radiology area, ready for quick consultation.