Book Review

Radiologic–Pathologic Correlations from Head to Toe: Understanding the Manifestations of Disease

N Engl J Med 2005; 352:2656June 23, 2005

Article

Radiologic–Pathologic Correlations from Head to Toe: Understanding the Manifestations of Disease
Edited by Nicholas C. Gourtsoyiannis and Pablo R. Ros. 797 pp., illustrated. Berlin, Springer-Verlag, 2005. $350. ISBN: 3-540-04395-0

This unique book is the first serious attempt to correlate state-of-the-art radiologic images of the entire body with the underlying pathology. The contributors include recognized investigators in 12 European countries and the United States. The book was based on a categorical course presented for many years at the European Congress of Radiology. It covers key aspects of disease from head to toe by showing the correlation of modern imaging techniques with microscopic and gross pathology. Although much clinical material is available on radiologic–pathological correlation, this is the first comprehensive textbook to offer it in a single source — a collection of topics on the entire body merged with state-of-the-art images. The book shows that neoplasms are a logical starting point for radiologic–pathological correlation, because they are frequently resected in toto and offer the basis for superb comparisons of gross-anatomical imaging.

The nidus of the development and presentation of radiologic–pathological correlation was the establishment in 1947 of the Department of Radiologic Pathology and its Registry at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. Many recognized national and international congresses have sponsored successful courses in radiologic–pathological correlation, including the European Congress of Radiology, the International Congress of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America, and other subspecialty societies. This approach has become a primary teaching tool for understanding radiologic manifestations of disease, from plain radiographs to the cross-sectional imaging techniques of x-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron-emission tomography, single-photon emission tomography, and ultrasonography. For many decades now, the teaching of radiologic principles has continued to gain strength, by providing radiologic–pathological correlation as a demonstration beyond the “what” of radiology to the “why” and “how” of radiologic findings. In current radiology residencies, the need for radiologic–pathological correlation continues, but in reality it is losing momentum, owing to the decrease in the frequency of autopsies, which decreases the quantity and quality of pathological material for possible radiologic–pathological correlation. This textbook, therefore, fills this gap by providing the correlation in an environment in which there is, ironically, a decreasing volume of pathological material.

This book realizes the goal of the editors: to provide radiologists, pathologists, and other specialists with a single source that presents the state of the art in the educational technique of radiologic–pathological correlation. The authors have, in many cases, dedicated their entire professional lives to teaching young radiologists around the world to use this technique. Many of the U.S. and European authors have direct or indirect links with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, having served there as full-time faculty, distinguished lecturers, or researchers in radiologic–pathological correlation.

The book is divided along main-organ-system lines, including neuroradiology, head and neck, chest, abdominal–gastrointestinal, urogenital, musculoskeletal, and breast imaging. The discussion of each organ system is systematic and often involves the study of benign and malignant neoplasms. The book should serve as an effective reference for the evaluation of difficult cases by practicing radiologists, and it should also help trainees in radiology to attain a thorough knowledge of the pathological basis of disease. The editors have successfully orchestrated the contributions of multiple international authors, teachers, and investigators to produce a compendium of high-resolution images obtained by multiple methods and color prints of gross pathology and histology. The book should become required reading for teachers and students in radiology, pathology, and associated disciplines.

C. Leon Partain, M.D., Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232