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The Cranial Nerves

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC

 
By Dominique Doyon, Kathlyn Marsot-Dupuch, Jean-Paul Francke. Teterboro, NJ: Icon Learning Systems, 255 pp., 2004. $46.95 (soft cover)

The Cranial Nerves is an attractive, concise, paperback book that focuses on imaging the cranial nerves. The authors, Drs. Doyon, Marsot-Dupuch, and Francke, reside in Paris and in Lille, France. The English-language edition follows the original French version, which was published in 2002. The book is 255 pages long and is printed on good-quality stock. It contains numerous high-quality MRI and CT illustrations, color drawings, photographs of anatomic specimens, and bountiful tables.

Chapter one deals with the clinical examination of cranial neuropathy. It attempts to present symptoms as a way to pinpoint the location of lesions—that is, in the brainstem, meninges, subarachnoid space, or base of the skull—and all factors that undoubtedly influence imaging protocols. The second chapter is titled "Anatomy Atlas" and that is exactly what it is. The discussion centers on classic anatomy and not on imaging anatomy. This observation does not diminish the chapter's (the longest in the book) value, but rather reminds us about the importance of good anatomic knowledge in neuroimaging.

The chapters that follow, from 3 to 10, are organized in a traditional scheme and explore each nerve or group of nerves according to their anatomy. Chapter three discusses the olfactory nerves; chapter four, the optic nerves; and so on. Each chapter is broken down into two to six subsections, but the title and general topics addressed in these subsections vary for each nerve. In addition, each chapter emphasizes different issues. For example, the chapter on the olfactory nerve concentrates on disorders of the sense of smell; the one on the fifth cranial nerve, on trigeminal neuralgia; and so on. This approach does not, however, prevent the reader from gaining adequate general knowledge on the cranial nerves. The chapters on the seventh and eighth cranial nerves are particularly enjoyable, emphasizing common disorders and illustrating them beautifully.

The last three chapters are, at first sight, unusual ones. The first one, on the vascularization of the cranial nerves, is short. However, because one of the most common causes of cranial neuropathy is vascular disease, this type of discussion is welcome. The second chapter is not a discussion of the cranial nerves per se, but it deals with functional MRI (cortical activation studies) as related to cranial neuropathy. The last chapter addresses the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the neck. The book ends with a short but pertinent bibliography; it should be noted that the text itself is not referenced.

How does this slim volume compare with other books on the cranial nerves that I commonly use? I think that it nicely complements Cranial Nerves in Health and Disease by Wilson-Pauwels, Akesson, Stewart, and Spacey (Decker, 2002), which has a more clinical orientation. It is not as extensive as The Cranial Nerves: Anatomy, Imaging, and Vascularisation by Leblanc, Libersa, Cornelis, and Lasjaunias (Springer-Verlag, 1995), but it can certainly be read cover-to-cover, whereas the text by Leblanc et al. serves mostly as a reference. Unfortunately, this book is somewhat difficult to find. It can be ordered directly from www.netterart.com (the only place I could find it).

In summary, I found this short text to be readable and entertaining, refreshing in its approach, and nicely illustrated. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in cranial nerve imaging.

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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 Castillo, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Castillo, M. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?