Vialle LR, Rajasekaran S, Kanna RM, et al. AOSpine Masters Series: Volume 10, Spinal Infections; Thieme;2018; 202 pp; 86 ill; $119.99.
AOSpine Master Series: Volume 10, Spinal Infections, is part of a book series that focuses on the management of patients with spinal infections. Designed as an instructional review book for those training in either orthopedic or neurosurgery, it is also a reference for currently practicing spine surgeons, and offers a comprehensive review of spinal infections. Not only is this book applicable to those in the fields of orthopedics and neurosurgery, but portions of the book are well suited for those in the field of radiology, particularly those with a special interest in musculoskeletal or neuroradiology.
The book is organized into 18 chapters, with each chapter broken down into multiple sections including, but not limited to, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, anatomy, and imaging. The chapters are concise, to the point, and well organized. At the end of each chapter is a brief chapter summary, as well as a highlighted “pearls and pitfalls” section. Included with each chapter are a list of references. For the physician-in-training, the organization of the book provides the reader an easy-to-follow approach for gaining a basic understanding of the material. When used as a reference, the organizational structure allows the reader to quickly identify the section relative to the area of interest.
Most relevant to the field of radiology are the numerous images throughout the book. Included in the book are images from multiple modalities including XRAY, MRI, CT scan, and PET scan. For studies such as MRI, the book generally includes studies done with multiple techniques such as T1, T2, and STIR imaging. These images are of high quality and clearly labeled. While the images and their captions for the most part are not stand alone, when combined with the associated text, they offer great insight into not only identifying the disease, but also understanding the disease process as well. When discussing a specific infection, the book often offers the reader multiple images taken from different points in time to highlight the infection or disease as a process. This method of characterization is important, in that it allows for a greater understanding of not only how the specific infection evolves, but how it resolves on imaging as well.
When comparing this book to other scholarly resources, this book more than adequately covers the subject of spinal infections. Not only does the book do an excellent job of presenting the relevant imaging to the specific chapter’s focus, it also does an excellent job presenting treatment algorithms and follow-up exams to consider as well. The book devotes a significant amount of time to differentiating between different types of spinal infections and highlighting the nuances associated with each. There are also specific chapters within the book devoted to such topics as tuberculosis and infections in patients with human immunodeficiency virus. Following generalized chapters on spinal infections are chapters targeting specific treatment options such as drug treatment, surgical treatment, and minimally invasive treatment. In many ways, given the size and the structure of the book, this book is preferable to other resources. Not only is it a small book that can easily either be carried around or stored in a convenient place, its outline structure makes it ideal to serve as a quick reference for the practicing physician.
One of the best features of this book is its contributions by multiple authors. Each one of the 18 chapters is written by several authors from different institutions. Many other review books or chapters, while put together with multiple sources, tend to be written by a single author or from a single institution. By utilizing multiple different authors for different chapters, the book has done a respectable job of combining perspectives on the topic of spinal infections from not only institutions in the United States, but from institutions around the world. Because of this compilation of multiple authors, there is less chance for author bias throughout the book. Even with contributions from multiple authors, institutions, and references, the book flows nicely, and there seems to be little, if any inconsistencies between chapters.
Another great feature of this review book are the high-quality references listed after each chapter. Each chapter references approximately 20-30 peer reviewed journal articles. These journal articles include a mix of both classic, commonly referenced articles, as well as current articles published within the last 5-10 years. Within the reference section of each chapter, the authors have highlighted “Five Must Read Articles” that they find particularly relevant to the chapter’s topic.
Overall, this review book is a high-quality resource for not only orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, but also for radiologists, specifically neuroradiologists as well. The outline type organizational structure, clear, pertinent imaging, and concise chapters allow the book to be used as a primary resource for the physician in training, a quick reference for the practicing physician, or as starting point for a source of references for someone looking to either gain a finer understanding of a particular subject or even author a new scholarly article. To maximize the utility of this book, I would recommend that one purchases the book during his or her training and spends approximately a week reading through it. After that, it will serve nicely as a quick, convenient reference for the practicing physician.
