British Journal of Radiology (2003) 76, 356
© 2003 British Institute of Radiology
doi:
Magnetic resonance in dementia. By J Valk, F Barkhof and P Scheltens, pp. 353, 2002 (Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany), £136.50 ISBN 3-540-41731-1
A Jackson
This book is a detailed reference text based on the authors' extensive experience of dementing diseases. There is a good overview introduction of MR techniques available for use in neurodegenerative disorders and of the modern improvements in image processing techniques that are being used to define the rate and extent of atrophic change seen in specific diseases. Following this is an overview of a simple classification of dementias which the authors' have developed splitting both common and rare causes into neurodegenerative disorders, dementia with Parkinsonism, disorders primarily affecting white matter, vascular dementias and miscellaneous disorders. Within each of these divisions are a large number of disease specific entities and the rest of the book follows this classification. Common diseases such as Alzheimer's receive considerable attention (22 pages) rarer disorders receive proportionally less. Each of the disease related sections provides an excellent overview of the pathology, aetiology and diagnostic classifications for the individual diseases where appropriate. Pathophysiology and neurogenetic features of the diseases are covered and the remainder of each section is then dedicated to the presentation of MR features with a series of excellently reproduced illustrations.
There are a number of small and surprising omissions. There is for instance no detailed discussion of the features of normal aging or of the classification or importance of deep white matter hyperintensities in normal aging or the dementing diseases. This is particularly surprising since one of the authors, Philip Scheletens is extremely experienced in this area and is responsible for one of the most commonly used scoring schemes for white matter abnormalities. Another potential weakness is that although MR features of individual diseases are well described there is no attempt to describe any systematic approach to the interpretation of the brain scan in individual dementing diseases. The book would have benefited from an overview of the diagnostic implications of individual radiological findings. Despite this the book is a superb reference for those interested in the dementing diseases and is a must read for anybody intending to work with this group of patients. This will find a place on the book shelves of most neuroradiology and neurology departments and is highly recommended for those with an interest in the dementing disorders.
