Authors: Peter C. Burger, MD; Bernd W. Scheithauer, MD; B.K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, MD; Ayca Ersen, MD; Fausto J. Rodriguez, MD; Tarik Tihan, MD; and Elizabeth J. Rushing, MD
Publisher: Amirsys | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins – 800 pages
Book Review by: Nano Khilnani

Seven professors of pathology, with two of them also teaching neurology and/or neurosurgery, wrote this book.  Five of them are in the United States, and one each is from Switzerland and Turkey.

This book’ like others in the Diagnostic Pathology series of the publishers Amirsys and Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, uses a bullet-points format which enables writers and publishers to “pack” a large amount of material – both text and images – into a smaller amount of space. Thus this book is comprehensive in coverage as well as concise. In other words, a large quantity of the most important information is provided when presented in outline form.

We present below in outline and paragraph form what you will find in this book. If we placed each of the subjects covered as single items below each section, the list below will become quite long. So as you browse through it, you get an overview. A book review should give you a sort of bird’s eye view, as well as take a close look into a small portion of the book. Thus the review is one part extensive and one part intensive.

  • Neoplastic
    • Brain and Spinal Cord: Infiltrative Astrocytic Neoplasms, Oligodentrolial Neoplasms, Localized Astrocytic Neoplasms; Tumors of Ependyma and Related Cells, Choroid Plexus Neoplasms, Neuronal and Glioneuronal Neoplasms, Pineal Parenchymal Neoplasms, Embryonal Neoplasms, Germ Cell Neoplasms, Hemangioblastoma, Lymphomas and Hematopoietic Neoplasms, Metastatic Neoplasms.
    • Sellar Region: Adenohypophyseal Neoplasia and Hyperplasia, Neurohypophyseal and Hypothalamic Neoplams, Craniopharyngiomas, Miscellaneous Neoplasms
    • Meninges
    • Cranial, Spinal, and Peripheral Nerves:  Schwannoma Variants, Neurofibroma, Primary Malignant Neoplasms of Nerve, Perineurioma, Lipoma of the 8th Cranial Nerve
    • Familial Tumor Syndromes: Neurofibromatosis, Other
  • Nonneoplastic
    • Benign Cysts
    • Infectious, Inflammatory, and Reactive Lesions: Demyelinating Diseases, Bacterial Infections, Viral Infections, Fungal Infections, Protozoal and Parasitic Infections, Other Inflammatory Diseases, Reactive Conditions and Noninflammatory Pseudoneoplasms
    • Vascular Diseases: Vascular Malformations and Neoplasms, Vascular Lesions, Vasculitis and Vasculopathy
    • Cortical Dysplasia
  • Reference       
  • Reference Indices

This book provides details of the various types of lesions in the brain, the sella (sometimes called sellar) region, and peripheral nerves, such as found in the limbs. A lesion is a loose term for a mass of tissue sometimes used interchangeably with the term tumor, that may or may not be malignant.

The word neoplasm is the medical term for tumor. It is a combination form of the Greek words neo (for new) and plasma, meaning formation. The four types of neoplasms according to the World Health Organization are: benign, in situ, malignant, and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior.

This book, intended pathologists in training as well as practicing pathologists, essentially provides information on, and insight into pathological basis of structural lesions. It provides knowledge about better-known as well as relatively rare tumors, such as angiocentric glioma, chordoid glioma of the third ventricle, papillary glioneuronal tumor, papillary tumor of the pineal region, pilomyxoid astrocytoma, pineal anlage tumor, pituitary blastoma, and rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor,

Relatively newer techniques in diagnostic pathology are also introduced in this volume, as well as those that are prognostically and therapeutically relevant. .

You can access the contents of this print book online! To access your Amirsys eBook Advantage: 

1)    Scratch off the silver coating on the inside front cover of this book to reveal the license key
2)    Go to http://amirsys.com online
3)    Register your title with this license key

This website is for individual use only. For additional details, please read the License Agreement available on the registration page. For technical assistance, please contact [email protected]

Amirsys eBook Advantage Features:

  • Searchable content
  • Hundreds of additional images
  • Continuous updates
  • Expanded diagnostic tips and references

This is a very useful book on diagnostic pathology. A huge amount of detailed material has been gathered for it, and is presented in a very organized manner, including over 2,700 illustrations. Classic pathological features as well as variant patterns that pose diagnostic problems are presented.  This is a very authoritative and very valuable text, and should be an important addition to the library of the established as well as the aspiring pathologist.

Authors:

Peter C. Burger, MD is Professor of Pathology, Neurosurgery and Oncology at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Bernd W. Scheithauer, MD is Professor of Pathology, and Consultant in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.

B.K. Kleinschmidt-DeMasters, MD is Professor of Pathology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado.

Ayca Ersen, MD is Pathologist in the Faculty of Medicine at Dokuz Eylul University in Ismir, Turkey.

Fausto J. Rodriguez, MD is Assistant Professor Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Tarik Tihan, MD, PhD is Professor of Pathology in the Neuropathology Division of the University of California – San Francisco School of Medicine in San Francisco, California.

Elisabeth J. Rushing, MD is Professor of Pathology at the University of Zurich, and Neuropathologist at University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland.