Acing the Hepatology Questions on the GI Board Exam, the Ultimate Crunch-Time Resource by Brennan M.R. Spiegel (2012) is an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for a solid understanding of hepatic pathology, diagnostics and therapeutics.
The book is vignette-driven and features most of the important and high-yield hepatic conditions including acetaminophen overdose, viral hepatitides, and dozens of other infectious and metabolic liver disease. There are also excellent radiographic images and H&E stains.
This book has an interesting feature that I have never seen in any other Board review book. Each vignette is followed by a small “Why Might This Be Tested?” section. This is a very useful feature for test-takers. We all know that certain esoterica keep showing up over and over on Board examination. No one, until now, ever took the time to explain why. Dr. Spiegel explains these things very well. For example, according to the author, celiac disease is frequently tested on the Boards because:
sprue is a prevalent condition that is frequently missed. Board examiners will want to know that you can make this diagnosis on a timely basis…. Finally, Board examiners have a number of content “check boxes” they need to check off when putting an exam together. This topic works well because it covers several areas, including both luminal GI and liver disease. (p. 86)
This is a very useful book for anyone who wants to excel in hepatology. I recommend it most especially to advanced internal medicine residents and attendings, and to junior gastroenterology and hepatology fellows.
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