British Journal of Radiology (2004) 77, 541
© 2004 British Institute of Radiology
doi:
MRI of the paediatric brain: uncommon disorders – proton MR spectroscopy – diffusion MRI. By R Nuri Sener, pp. 391, 2003 (Warren-Green Inc., St Louis, MO), $55.00 ISBN 0-87527-535-4
L Abernethy
At first site, this is an attractive and very reasonable priced textbook which is intended, according to the foreword, to "compliment well what we commonly suspect as well as what is rare to observe in the paediatric population".
On closer study, it becomes clear that this is not a comprehensive textbook of paediatric neuroradiology, but more like a collection of individual case reports. The book is divided into three sections, the first and largest of which is entitled "Uncommon Disorders" Paradoxically, this section contains descriptions of some relatively common and well-known paediatric disorders (for example, post-traumatic haemorrhage, gliomas, craniopharyngiomas, tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis 1, metastatic neuroblastoma) alongside some extreme rarities. This section also contains examples of normal variants and technical artefacts.
The two subsequent sections, entitled "Proton MR Spectroscopy" and "Diffusion MRI" are much shorter, together accounting for 118 of the book's 391 pages. They follow the same format, with desciptive and pictorial reports of individual cases, but only brief discussion of the technical aspects of the techniques and their specific contribution to diagnosis.
I am left with the impression that this book is a collection of interesting cases, rather than a coherent text. I do not think that this book could be recommended as an introduction to paediatric neuroradiology, and it is not sufficiently comprehensive to use as a primary source of reference. It might, however, have a place in some specialist departments as a source of examples of some very rare conditions.
