Moonis G, Juliano AF, Mukherji S. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America: Update on Temporal Bone Imaging with Emphasis on Clinical and Surgical Perspectives; Elselvier; 2019; 202 pp; $397.00.
The February 2019 edition of the Neuroimaging Clinics discusses one of the most detailed areas of neuroradiology — temporal bone imaging. Edited by Drs. Moonis and Juliano, Update on Temporal Bone Imaging with an Emphasis on Clinical and Surgical Perspectives consists of the following 13 chapters:
- Inflammation
- Meniere Disease
- Ostosclerosis
- Tinnitus
- Third Window
- Arterial Abnormalities
- Pediatric Hearing Loss
- Syndromic Temporal Bone Abnormalities
- Temporal Bone Trauma
- Management of Vestibelar Schwannomas
- Otologic Surgical Procedures
- Advanced MR Imaging
Thirty authors have contributed to this 200 page issue. Throughout the text there is an attempt to correlate — as well as possible — important clinical and surgical aspects of the topic under consideration. For example: audiograms of a number of abnormalities, tables for clinical classification of hearing loss, diagrams of aberrant arterial connections, sound conduction diagrams in normal and abnormal situations. The imaging quality is excellent throughout the book and the chapters are formatted in a similar manner.
This edition starts with a chapter on inflammation and it is particularly well done with an abundance of illustrations, tables, and well-outlined and described entities. Because of the myriad inflammatory diseases that affect the temporal bone, close attention to this material is appropriate, considering neuroradiologists’ daily evaluation of this area.
Updates on topics less frequently encountered include Meniere Disease and Third Window Lesions; however, the other topics are also important and well designed. Again, what is nice about this volume in general are the clinical correlations. In the trauma chapter, for example, many facts are emphasized and illustrated (like otic capsule involvement or sparing), the mechanism of force to cause these, and the otologic consequences. Side by side, normal CT images help in defining the abnormalities. Nearly all aspects of temporal bone trauma are covered.
In a busy neuroradiology/ENT service, one will encounter many of the abnormalities described and shown throughout the year. Prime among these are the third window lesions. The anatomy and pathophysiology is described in this chapter and the reader will find the imaging protocols useful along with the resulting reconstructions. These allow visualization of bony structures and demonstrate best areas of dehiscence.
Another area of which may be not fully understood by someone reading temporal bone imaging involves the vascular (arterial) anomalies of the middle ear. Here, the subject is dealt with in drawings and matching CT images, giving the reader landmarks to evaluate when these anomalies may be present. The short 12-page chapter on pediatric hearing loss illustrates and discusses common and uncommon causes of hearing loss. A review of the images help define what one may occasionally encounter in reading temporal bone imaging. Although there are scattered images of the postoperative temporal bone in some chapters, this issue would have been improved by a separate dedicated chapter on the post-surgical temporal bone.
Overall, this volume in the NICA series is valuable because it focuses on pathology and imaging (with clinical correlates) with which every neuroradiologist should be familiar.
