BOOK REVIEWPediatr Radiol (2002) 32: 913DOI 10.1007/s00247-002-0707-6

Aparna Joshi H.L. Cohen, C.J. Sivit: Fetal and pediatricultrasound: a casebook approach

McGraw-Hill, New York, 2001, 656 pp (ISBN 0-8385-8864-6)

$179.00

Published online: 16 October 2002� Springer-Verlag 2002

A. JoshiDetroit, MI, USA

Type of book: This is a multiauthorcasebook on fetal and prenatalultrasound.

Scope of book: The self-statedpurpose of this book is ‘‘to presentmost, if not all, of what one needs toknow in fetal and pediatric ultra-sound in a format that also allowsself-testing for board examinationpreparation.’’

Contents: The book contains 120chapters. Each chapter begins withan unknown case, followed by a briefexplanation of the findings anddiagnosis of the unknown case andthen by a broader discussion of thetopic, including definitions, patho-physiology, differential diagnosis,technical pointers, and additionalcase examples. The first quarter ofthe book is devoted to fetal ultra-sound, including sections on the headand neck, chest, abdomen, genitalcysts, musculoskeletal system andgeneral obstetrics. The remainder ofthe book covers pediatric ultrasoundwith sections on nearly all majororgan systems, although peripheralvascular ultrasound is mentionedonly in passing in the chapter onosteomyelitis and ocular ultrasoundis not discussed. There are 36 colorplates of correlative pathologicspecimens and Doppler images.

Strengths: This book does agood job of bridging prenatal and

postnatal imaging, important sinceso much neonatal imaging is nowrequested based on prenatal find-ings. The array of diseases coveredis great, and the topics are discussedin reasonable depth. The authorsoften discuss the relative value ofother imaging modalities and showcorrelative images. Discussions arequite practical and address manycontroversies and frequently askedquestions, e.g., how to differentiatepylorospasm and pyloric stenosis.Several of the chapters are authoredby radiologists known for theirprevious work on those topics.Image quality is quite good. Refer-ences are plentiful. The content andself-testing format make this bookparticularly useful for those pre-paring for the pediatric radiologycertificate of added qualificationexam.

Deficiencies: This book has fewweaknesses from the standpoint of apediatric radiologist. Discussions aresuccinct yet complete. Topics notcovered are mentioned above.

Recommended readership: Radi-ology residents, fellows in pediatricradiology, practicing radiologistsand ultrasonographers will find thisexcellent book useful as a referenceand as a review for board examina-tions.

Overall grading: Excellent.