Diagnostic Atlas of Renal Pathology, 3rd Edition

By: Agnes B. Fogo, MD, FASN

ISBN: 978-0-323-39053-8

Pub Date: 02 Nov 2016

Reviewed by: Ivan Damjanov, MD (University of Kansas Medical Center)

Description

Initially this book was conceived as an addendum to a major clinical nephrology textbook, but over time it has become a standalone book that can be read without reference to other books. First published in 2005, with this edition, the book has been expanded by an ebook version which makes it attractive to readers who prefer to read it in the electronic format.

Purpose

The book is titled a “diagnostic atlas,” and its original purpose was to provide concise but comprehensive pictorial documentation of renal pathology. Over time, it has transformed into a condensed textbook or, if you wish, a handbook and vade mecum for quick consultation and guidance through the thickets of nephropathology. Any complex field needs such guidebooks and this one fills that void. Personally, I prefer the print book, but my junior colleagues might be more comfortable with the ebook version, which is a facsimile of the print version with a few minor additions.

Audience

Clinical and research nephrologists are the intended audience, but the book will also be used by pathologists who consider themselves generalists, i.e., all those who work as diagnosticians in hospitals and the ever-growing independent diagnostic laboratories, but are far from calling themselves nephropathologists. I suspect that even some professional nephropathologists will buy it to learn how to present complex issues in a condensed and simplified manner. Furthermore, it should be made available to trainees in clinical nephrology and pathology as well as to medical students who might be interested in nephropathology or even those who have been completely lost while trying to understand this complicated field of anatomic pathology from the prescribed medical school textbooks. In summary, this diagnostic atlas is ideally suited for novices and those who have some previous knowledge but need some guidance through the complexities of advanced nephropathology. Both authors are well known nephropathologists, Dr. Fogo from Vanderbilt and Dr. Kashgarian from Yale.

Features

The book seems to have grown in size from its second edition, but it has only 545 pages. Since it contains more than 700 images, it is self evident that the text must be succinct and often stenographic. Nevertheless, the authors manage to present all the main issues of modern nephropathology in clear jargon-free declarative style, which is quite readable and to the point. It is ideally suited for fast learners who could absorb the book’s messages in few sessions and thus acquire enough knowledge to move to the real stuff under the microscope. The book begins with a general introduction containing algorithms and Venn diagrams and a chapter on normal renal histology and embryology. The next five chapters deal with the most important medical renal diseases. Finally there are chapters on renal cystic diseases, renal transplantation, and a relatively short chapter on renal neoplasia. At the end of each chapter there are selected references, which include a potpourri of classical papers and important recent publications. The index is easy to use. As a book that has “atlas” in its title, it is heavily illustrated. Most if not all the images are first class and include light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy photographs, and even a few photographs of gross specimens. Among these images it is worth mentioning the popular conceptual color drawings of glomerular pathology, which have been reproduced in many teaching PowerPoint slide collections by many a medical school professor in this country and abroad.

Assessment

This atlas is more than a collection of images; it is a condensed textbook or manual of nephropathology. It has served well generations of clinical nephrologists and I predict that it will still be popular among clinicians and their trainees. I also believe that it will be read by general pathologists and their residents, and even by professional nephropathologists who might use it as an example of how to present complex issues in a simplified manner. The book is illustrated with more than 700 images, which are supplemented with concise and very informative and readable text. This edition has been thoroughly updated and reflects more than adequately the state of the art of 2018 nephropathology. Overall, the book can be read without reference to original articles or thicker and more detailed books. I do not know of any better short or introductory book in this field. On the other hand, if you do not know what nephrin or the gene NPHS2 (encoding podocin) is, you will find these esoteric terms mentioned in the atlas but will need to go elsewhere for a full explanation. This is a minor inconvenience that should not distract you from the overall value of this book. Two seasoned authors deserve our congratulations and gratitude for updating their wonderful book, keeping it in print for the new generation, and preserving its general format to make our teaching efforts so much easier.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 97 – 5 Stars!