Practical Surgical Neuropathology: A Diagnostic Approach, 2nd Edition

By Arie Perry, MD

ISBN: 978-0-323-44941-0

Pub Date: 12/7/17

Reviewed by: Laurie Griesinger, BS, MD (University of Michigan Medical School)

Description

Part of the Elsevier Pattern Recognition series, this book reviews both neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathology in the nervous system. The previous edition was published in 2010.

Purpose

The intent is to provide an accessible reference for general surgical pathologists encountering occasional neuropathology specimens and pathology trainees learning neuropathology. The contributors are all experts in the field of neuropathology.

Audience

The intended audience is both general surgical pathologists and pathology trainees, but the book could also be useful to clinicians and radiologists.

Features

The book categorizes neuropathological entities into eight major scanning magnification patterns and 24 minor higher magnification patterns. The first part of the book describes these categories, both through text and with high-quality images, and includes tables showing all entities that could fit into each pattern and directing readers to the appropriate section of the book to learn about the entities. The book begins with several introductory chapters, followed by chapters on specific disease entities. The discussion of each disease entity contains an introduction, epidemiological information, clinical and radiological/gross features, histopathological features, differential diagnosis, and ancillary studies. The bulk of the book is devoted to tumoral pathology, with a handful of chapters on infectious and degenerative diseases. The chapters covering disease entities flow easily, and are complete without being too cumbersome.

Assessment

This book is incredibly useful for pathology trainees or general surgical pathologists. It is easy to follow and use as a reference when confronted with an unknown. It contains ample information on each disease entity, including high-quality images. The online version is useful as an adjunct for its accessibility and searchability. The book meets its objectives as a versatile reference that can be used both to quickly help generate or narrow a differential diagnosis in a generalist setting, or to learn about an entity for the first time in a trainee setting. Overall, this is a must-have for neuropathology training and general practice.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 93 – 4 Stars!