From The New England Journal of Medicine
Hepatobiliary Diseases: Pathophysiology and Imaging was edited by two Japanese professors of medicine, one American professor of radiology, and one Japanese professor of radiology. Most of the 23 contributing authors are Japanese; 1 is a pathologist and the others are split between medicine and radiology.
The seven chapters of the book cover progress in imaging, anatomy and gross changes in the liver, diffuse liver diseases, vascular diseases, space-occupying lesions, other liver diseases, and biliary tract diseases. Included in the last chapter are sections on imaging techniques, anatomy, congenital anomalies, stone disease, cholangitis, cholecystitis, neoplasms throughout the gallbladder and biliary tract, and the hyperplastic cholecystoses. The quality of the writing is excellent, with no evidence that English is not the primary language of many of the authors.
The paper is thin with a matte finish. This does not detract from the quality of the copious black-and-white illustrations, which include examples of all relevant types of imaging as well as photographs of gross specimens and photomicrographs. Most of the illustrations are of excellent quality, although a few could have been improved by manipulations of the brightness and contrast. In the center of the book are approximately 130 color figures on glossy paper, many of which are spectacular. The reader has to flip back and forth between the text and the relevant color figures -- an annoying but unavoidable result of cost-saving measures. The references, which are as up to date as can be expected for a book, appear at the end of each chapter section, so they are close to their citations.
The book encyclopedically covers diseases of the liver and biliary tract. The correlations among clinical, pathologic, pathophysiologic, and imaging features are excellent. The discussions of the relative merits of the many available imaging techniques are, by and large, right on the money. Even the technical aspects of the various types of imaging are well covered. One can read this book cover to cover or use it as a reference work.
Who should invest in this book? (At $275, it is an investment.) Departments of radiology, gastroenterology, and surgery should obtain a copy for their libraries. Most radiology residents will find it too subspecialized and too expensive. Fellows in gastroenterology with an interest in hepatobiliary diseases, fellows in hepatobiliary surgery, and fellows in abdominal imaging would do well to buy and read this book sometime during their training. Faculty members in these disciplines who have an interest in the liver and biliary tract will enjoy owning and reading this book. A feature that should be considered for the next edition (or even as a supplement to the current edition) is an accompanying CD-ROM. Since many of the images presented are of uncommon entities, and since radiologists usually do not have ready access to correlative histopathologic slides, images from a CD-ROM would be helpful to round out collections of individual cases for teaching conferences.
Arnold C. Friedman, M.D.
Copyright © 2002 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.
From the Back Cover
The aim of this book is to use radiology to convey a clear understanding of the pathophysiology of hepatobiliary disorders and how this can aid diagnosis.
New radiological techniques, such as real-time ultrasonography, 3-D CT and MRI, have revolutionized hepatobiliary diagnosis and practice, and this book helps readers to optimise their patient care with the use of these methods. The book covers the full range of hepatobiliary diseases in a systematic fashion. While the focus is on imaging and the information that can be gleaned from it, epidemiology, aetiology, pathology, clinical features, treatment and prognosis are also discussed, allowing the reader to consider each disease in context.
This book is unique in that the lead editor, Professor Okuda, is one of the world's best known hepatologists and his knowledge is combined with that of some leading radiologists to produce a book that balances expertise in both hepatology and radiology.
This book is aimed primarily at hepatogastroenterologists, and trainees in gastroenterology and hepatology. However it will also be useful for trainee radiologists who want to correlate their understanding of radiology with disease processes.
