Brain CT in Clinical Practice

Book Review: Brain CT Scans in Clinical Practice

Brain CT Scans in Clinical Practice by Usiakimi Igbaseimokumo MD is concise, sharp, brilliantly written, practice changing, and full ofnumerous helpful clinical pearls. In places, the advice is extremely straightforward:

blood clots or tumours in the brain deep to the pia mater are called intraaxial and those outside the pia are called extra axial.

(P. 26-27)
perhaps the most important clinical advice to the front line doctor with regards to emergency brain CT scans for trauma or any other reason is for you to look at the scan as soon as it is done.

(P. 33)

This is straightforward advice and information that, for whatever reason, seldom makes its way into other radiology books.

In other places, the book is much more subtle and sophisticated. According to the author, for example:

The first important clue to early hydrocephalus is enlargement of the temporal horns….
The next important clue … is that the third ventricle which normally presents a narrow slit lie appearance changes to an oval shape.

(P. 74-75)

Overall, the reader is left with the impression that the author really, really, knows what he is talking about.

The book disproportionately focuses on subarachnoid hemorrhage and hydrocephalus. This is a very smart decisions because these are critically important diagnoses that can be very difficult to detect without good training. In contrast, hemorrhagic strokes are generally far from subtle in appearance, while ischemic strokes are essentially clinical diagnoses whose management seldom depends upon the findings on head CT.

On the downside, the pictures aren’t excellent. They are, however, they are good enough to help elucidate the text which, in turn, is what makes to book exceptionally good.

I recommend this book very highly to residents in primary care and to medical student with a strong interest in internal medicine, emergency medicine, radiology, neurology or neurosurgery. It is one of the core books in Neurology: A Curriculum for Self-Guided Learners and is easily one of the best medical books of all time.

Free sample here.

Comments

3 responses to “Book Review: Brain CT Scans in Clinical Practice”

  1. Sonya D Avatar
    Sonya D

    You say this book is practice-changing, but for who? Do you think head CT is a radiological study that a generalist or ER doc should be able to read on their own in emergency situations? I definitely do, and I find head CTs to be more straightforward than MRIs or skull x-rays. But how will reading this book change my practice? Or will it just deepen knowledge?

    1. Mark Yoffe MD Avatar
      Mark Yoffe MD

      Thank you for your comment, Dr. Sonay D!

      I think the book would change practice by deepening one’s knowledge. (As such, every book on diagnosis is practice changing, if it is any good and if it offers information that is new to the reader, and that one is inclined to apply to clinical practice!)

      What I was really trying to get at is the book’s transformative nature. It changes how one thinks about head CTs, not just what one things about head CTs. For example, the author’s comment (above) that one should look at every head CT as soon as it is read. That is more than just conveying knowledge of abstract facts. Rather, it’s an exhortation to practice in a particular outcome-oriented way!

  2. […] any other reason is for you to look at the scan [and interpret it!] as soon as it is done.” Brain CT Scans in Clinical Practice by Usiakimi Igbaseimokumo MD (2009, p. […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *