Book Review

CT and MRI Radiological Anatomy

N Engl J Med 1993; 328:739-740March 11, 1993

Article

CT and MRI Radiological Anatomy
Edited by Samuel Merran; anatomical illustrations by Jacques Hureau; English translation edited by Adrian Dixon. 304 pp., illustrated. Boston, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991. $130. ISBN: 0-7506-1060-3

The aim of this book is to provide a radiologic-anatomical work that is both didactic and concise. “The work is meant to be simple and practical,” the preface states. “It is meant to be widely referred to by all those in the medical fraternity, both generalists and specialists, who require understanding of this new form of imaging.”

Ct and MRI Radiological Anatomy is divided into 13 chapters: 6 on head and neck imaging, 1 on the spine, 1 on the chest, 3 on the abdomen, 1 on the pelvis, and 1 on the extremities. The various technical settings used to obtain the CT and MRI images are displayed in table form at the beginning of each chapter. The information provided for MRI scans includes field strength, slice thickness, matrix size, coil type, and pulse-sequence settings such as echo time and repetition time. The information provided for CT images includes slice thickness, matrix size, time of data acquisition, injection, and window levels. Although interesting and helpful to the radiologist, these details are probably excessive for the nonradiologist. Most of the images are preceded by a radiograph, CT scan, or MRI scan or by an anatomical drawing that shows the level and plane (axial, sagittal, or coronal). An accompanying numbered line drawing provides the legend for each of the images.

Although the subject of the book is very broad, the authors have not, as they state, attempted to make it a comprehensive anatomy textbook. Some anatomical regions, such as the extremities, receive limited attention. The head and neck are covered best, with detailed CT and MRI images, including axial, coronal, and sagittal views. The chapters on the orbit and neck are somewhat bare of MRI images. The chest anatomy is well portrayed in axial, coronal, and sagittal images. The abdominal anatomy is well displayed by a variety of CT and MRI images. There is considerable detail on hepatic segmentation according to Couinaud. Some of the MRI images of the female pelvis are mislabeled, and the junctional zone is referred to as the endometrial stroma, although it has been shown to arise from the myometrium.

Generally, the CT images are of very good quality, as are the MRI images of the brain and abdomen. Many of the MRI images of the extremities, spine, and pelvis do not represent the state of the art and do not reflect the quality of images currently available. Some images of the extremities are not optimally windowed and therefore do not display the described anatomy to advantage.

The greatest strengths of the book lie in its easy-to-use format and its well-labeled figures. The English translation of the French anatomical terminology is not a problem. The book would be useful to medical students on both radiology electives and core-clerkship rotations and to beginning residents in radiology. As the editor and illustrator suggest, the book would also be helpful for general practitioners, internists, and surgeons who wish to become familiar with a broad range of cross-sectional imaging. The book does not provide enough detail of the musculoskeletal system for radiologists interested in cross-sectional imaging of these regions.

Marla Polger, M.D.
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115