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Chest Radiology: Plain Film Patterns and Differential Diagnoses, 5th ed.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA 02215

By James C. Reed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, 495 pp., 2003. $99

If you would like to review books for AJR, please send a cover letter stating your interest with a current curriculum vitae to Book Reviews, AJR, 500 22nd St. S, Ste. 504A, Birmingham, AL 35233.

Despite remarkable advances in CT imaging in recent years, the conventional chest radiograph remains the most frequently ordered imaging examination for evaluating patients with respiratory symptoms. Since its introduction two decades ago, James C. Reed's Chest Radiology: Plain Film Patterns and Differential Diagnoses has been greatly admired for its ability to teach the art of chest radiograph interpretation using a pattern-based approach. In the fifth edition of this text, Dr. Reed has successfully updated and enhanced the book, while retaining the best qualities of its past editions.

Readers familiar with past editions of this book will be glad to learn that Reed has kept the practical and popular framework of his text. The book is organized into 23 chapters, each devoted to a specific radiographic pattern of disease. Similar to the format in prior editions, each chapter begins with a preliminary set of case-based questions that relate to a specific radiographic pattern. These questions draw the reader into a conversation with the author, engaging the reader as an active participant in the learning process. The questions are followed by well-organized tables of differential diagnoses. Each chapter also includes a succinct but comprehensive discussion, emphasizing a practical approach to the appropriate recognition, classification, and differential diagnosis of radiographic abnormalities. Each chapter ends with a concise list of summary statements that reemphasize the important concepts reviewed in the discussion.

A major strength of this work is its user-friendly style and systematic approach. The individual chapters all follow a familiar organizational pattern, and one can benefit from reading the entire book as a whole or from using individual chapters as references for learning more about specific patterns of disease. The text benefits greatly from the author's clear, authoritative writing style and from his ability to explain even the most challenging subjects in an uncomplicated manner. Indeed, Reed shares the wisdom gained from years of experience as he teaches the reader the pearls and pitfalls of chest radiograph interpretation. Other major strengths of this book are its large list of references, including contemporary and historical "landmark" articles, and its thorough index. The latter allows the reader to locate particular topics with great ease, which would otherwise be difficult in a text organized by radiographic patterns.

For the latest edition, Reed has added new information regarding recent developments in the diagnosis, classification, and management of certain diseases, including an update of chronic infiltrative lung diseases, lung cancer, AIDS-related chest diseases, and pulmonary infections. The timely nature of the new edition is exemplified by the inclusion of information regarding the radiographic presentation of anthrax infection. The new edition is also notable for an expanded discussion of the perception and analysis of chest radiographic findings, as well as a greater emphasis on the complementary roles of CT and high-resolution CT (HRCT). Finally, the new edition is enhanced by an increased number and improved quality of illustrations, including more correlative CT, HRCT, and MR images.

In summary, Dr. Reed has masterfully succeeded in the difficult task of improving a classic textbook that remains a unique and invaluable learning tool for chest radiograph interpretation. We highly recommend this new edition to those readers who have enjoyed the prior editions of this text, and we also recommend it to radiology residents, practicing radiologists, and clinicians who have yet to discover this gem.

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kyriakos, R. Articles by Boiselle, P. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kyriakos, R. Articles by Boiselle, P. M. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?