British Journal of Radiology 75 (2002),933 © 2002 The British Institute of Radiology
Radiology of AIDS. A Practical Approach. Edited by J W A J Reeders and P C Goodman, pp. 334, 2001 (Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany), £103.50 ISBN 3-540-66510-2
P Shorvon
Although the epidemic of AIDS in the West has not reached some of the doomsday proportions predicted early on, there are now fresh warnings that the disease is still on the increase. Furthermore the prevalence of HIV disease in some Third World countries is frightening. Africa has some 70% of the worlds cases (yet only 10% of its population) and in some parts of Africa up to 40% of the population are infected. With increasing travel, particularly of refugee populations, we can therefore all expect to see more patients with AIDS than at present, and a book such as this is therefore timely. It is impressive to see how much knowledge has accumulated since the disease was first recognized just over 20 years ago.
There are two important scenarios when diagnosing AIDS related diseases. The first is in a known AIDS patient, when radiological features need to be analysed in the context of this disease and a differential diagnosis reached. The systematic approach of this book is very helpful in this context, and in particular the last chapter, which summarizes radiological patterns in AIDS, will be a useful starting point for the radiologist. The second scenario is to think of AIDS when confronted with an as yet undiagnosed patient. In this situation it is important to pick up clues that might help in suggesting that an HIV test may be appropriate. This book will aid in this task with its 453 illustrations, most of which are of good quality. Some of the unusual diseases affecting AIDS patient have striking radiological appearances, such as the enhancing nodes of Kaposi's sarcoma and the punctate calcifications of disseminated Pneumocystis carinii infection, and once such good examples of these have been committed to memory, the possibility of AIDS is likely to come to mind.
Although well illustrated, this book is by no means just an atlas. It contains an extensive and well referenced text written by over 30 eminent authors from North America and Europe. This book is highly recommended and I am certain that it will be frequently used as a reference text. The editors should be congratulated on helping to make the life of a busy radiologist somewhat easier.
