Reviewer: Martin C. Yorath, DPM (Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science)
Description: Radiology is becoming an increasingly important factor in the diagnosis and eventual treatment of diseases and disorders of the foot and ankle, and this is reflected in this book. Now in its second edition, this is a considerably expanded volume from the first edition of 2003, and reflects contemporary podiatric radiologic practice.
Purpose: This is intended as a comprehensive reference for both students and practitioners of podiatric medicine.
Audience: The book is clearly aimed at a podiatric audience. It will probably have limited application outside of podiatric medicine and surgery, although orthopedists involved in foot and ankle fellowship training may find some of the later sections and chapters useful. The editor is a very well-respected authority on the subject, and he has assembled several nationally recognized authors, the majority of whom are podiatric physicians.
Features: The book is divided into six sections, starting with basic radiation physics, chemistry, and digital radiography. Radiographic anatomy is covered in detail, as are biomechanical and a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. There is a useful section on special imaging studies such as MRI and musculoskeletal ultrasound. While these latter two have their own chapters, there is a rather disappointing chapter with an overview of special imaging studies, which tries to cover CT and nuclear medicine, as well as MRI and ultrasound, and leads me to wonder why the author either did not include expanded chapters on CT and nuclear medicine or simply omit the two more detailed chapters on MR and ultrasound. The best feature of the book is clearly its comprehensive coverage of the majority of podiatric radiology.
Assessment: The quality of this book is fine enough, but the format is little jaded. It is probably of more use to students than practicing podiatric physicians, but at a cost that will cause most students to think twice. This new edition does cover the advances in musculoskeletal ultrasonography, which is gaining increasing use in the outpatient setting, and this alone is useful. There are not a lot of comparable books specifically in podiatry. Gamble and Yale's Clinical Foot Roentgenology is long gone, although it was written by podiatrists for podiatrists and was similar in that respect. Radiology of the Foot and Ankle, 3rd edition, Berquist (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011), is, in my opinion, a more comprehensive book, while Imaging of the Foot and Ankle: Techniques and Applications, Davies et al. (Springer, 2003), provides reasonable coverage, too. Overall, this is a book with limited appeal despite its obvious audience.
