This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Handbook of Differential Diagnosis in Neurology
edited by N.P. Poolos,
267 pp., Boston, Butterworth Heinemann, 2001, $41.95
This book starts with the statements that differential diagnosis is difficult but that this is not the clinician’s fault, and ends 267 pages later with a grading of the ultrasonic findings in cases of neonatal ventricular hemorrhage. This unevenness of approach is regrettable to a reviewer who prefers texts that provide as much insight as knowledge.
There is no doubt that this handbook contains a lot of knowledge, often evidencing the various contributors’ awareness of the most recent literature; the problem is where to start the teaching process. For this reviewer, it is with the history and physical examination, but the former is largely ignored here and the lists of potential causes of neurologic findings presuppose the possession of insight into the elicitation, interpretation, and synthesis of the latter.
The book is a compendium of over 180 lists, though not all lists are of differential diagnoses (that are themselves tables of diagnostic choices, all but one of which are wrong in any particular case). Starting with the recognition that a patient has, for example, a gaze palsy, pseudotumor cerebri, alexia, or paraproteinemic neuropathy, a physician may use these lists to assist in advancing to the next step in detection—namely, which? Or why? But for whom is this skeleton of neurology written?
The preface seems to me to provide an insight as to the book’s purpose, as there the editor reassures …
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
