Escourolle and Poirier's Manual of Basic Neuropathology, 6th Edition

ISBN: 9780190675011
ISBN-10: 0190675012
Copyright: 2019
Edition: 6th
Editor: Gray, Francoise, Duyckaerts, Charles, de Girolami, Umberto,
Doody's Expert Review    Score: 100
Reviewer: Kyle Conway,  MD  (University of Michigan Medical School)
Description
This is the sixth edition of a classic book covering all aspects of practical neuropathology in an introductory fashion. The fifth edition was published in 2013.
Purpose
It is intended to serve as an overview of nearly every facet of neuropathology. It is particularly useful as an introduction, as a general overview, or for focused review of the most important topics in neuropathology.
Audience
The book is directed primarily at trainees but is also appropriate for clinicians or general surgical pathologists interested in an introduction to basic neuropathology. Given its breadth, however, it remains useful to neuropathologists who wish to quickly reference areas of neuropathology that do not fall within their specialization. Each chapter is authored by well-recognized experts in the relevant fields.
Features
The book is organized according to traditional subdisciplines in neuropathology. It begins with an overview of basic pathological changes in the nervous system. The remainder of the book covers trauma, vascular disease, infectious disease, inflammatory/demyelinating disease, metabolic disease, and congenital/perinatal disease. Two chapters at the end of the book are dedicated to skeletal muscle and peripheral nerve, topics sometimes not covered in general neuropathology books. Another unique feature of this book is a final appendix that reviews neuropathology techniques, including grossing, sectioning, histochemical stains, and molecular pathology. For each topic, the book includes numerous high-quality images and clear and concise diagrams. These include superb gross photographs, microscopic images (including immunohistochemical stains and special stains), and images of electron microscopy.
Assessment
This has long been regarded as an essential book for introductory neuropathology, and this sixth edition continues that tradition. Several aspects of this book make it stand out. First, it covers every angle of neuropathology, including neoplastic and non-neoplastic central nervous system disease, skeletal muscle, and peripheral nerve. Additionally, it includes an appendix on neuropathology grossing and laboratory techniques, which contains information that is often difficult to find elsewhere. The most impressive aspect of the book is its ability to cover all of this information in fewer than 500 pages. Although some topics will require a more detailed book, this one covers each topic concisely without omitting any crucial or essential information. This edition includes the most recent neuropathology literature, including changes in the 2016 Revised Edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System and molecular advances that have taken place since its publication. The images are excellent and there are numerous clear and concise tables that will be invaluable to exam-focused trainees (for example, classification of cerebellar ataxias, neural tube closure defects, and cortical dysplasias). Finally, despite having the word "basic" in the title, this book covers complex topics with ease. For neuropathologists who encounter a topic outside of their area of expertise, this book provides an easy reference and a starting point for further research. It is an essential book for trainees, neuropathologists, and any general pathologists or clinicians with an interest in neuropathology.
Review Questionnaire
Range Question Score
1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10
1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10
1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5
1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5
1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5
1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5
1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5
1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 5
1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 5
1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5
1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5
1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5
1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book 5
1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10
1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 10