Clinical radiology of the pediatric abdomen and gastrointestinal tract

In his modest preface, the author indicates that his book is directed to the general diagnostic radiologist, either in practice or in training, anddisclaimsanypretentions of authority either for himself or the book. Indeed, it is notan erudite or definitive work andthere are many imperfections, but they are offset in nosmalldegree bythe brevityof thetext and its readability. The scope of the text is broad, including the entiregastrointestinal tract, the abdominal wall, the diaphragm, anda chapter on abdominal masses. The latter dwells particularly on masses encountered in the neonatal period but contains much valuable information aboutthoseafflictingchildren generally. Within that chapter is a brief paragraph describing abdominal ultrasound examination and itsscope, including some B-scans, both bistable andgray-scale, whichaddsubstantially to the information conveyed, though the imaging appears poorby present standards. One of thebestchapters is the last, entitled "Indwelling Vascular Catheters in Infants," whichis informative and valuable, although the discussion wanders far into the thoraxandthusawayfrom the avowed compass of the book. Some of the reproductions areexcellent, some mediocre, and some plainly poor or inadequate. The excellence of some illustrations indicates that the publisher is unlikelyto be at fault for the poor ones; rather, the printssubmitted were of variable quality. Thefiguresare largeenough to be easilyseenandunderstood, andthe legends are concise. The bibliography is brief, sometimes sparse, and often outdated. There are occasional errors in English and in spelling. Thetype is large,easilyread, andpleasingly set up,sothat the casual or occasional reader canconsult or peruse thebookwith a senseof pleasure. However, it seemsto me that the cost of publishing the book(and thusits price)couldhavebeen abated by moreeconomical useof pagespace: thereare blankpages andblank partsof pages throughout the text. In summary, this book is far from scholarlyor authoritative, but then it was not intended to be. Its superficial and cursory treatment of many subjects will notsatisfy the critical reader or expert in the field, but it presents much useful information in an easily accessible andpleasant manner and will likely be well received by those to whom it is addressed.