Dynamic Cardiovascular MRI: Principles and Practical Examples by Dominique Didier and Osman Ratib
Thieme, NewYork, 2004, $99 including CD-ROM
Cardiac MRI is a booming industry for radiologists, and a boon for patients with cardiovascular abnormalities, as current sequences provide extraordinary detail. Our institution recently acquired a new magnet and software package that produces dynamic gated white blood cine images in a matter of minutes, with anatomic resolution that parallels T1 spin echo.
It’s a brave new world in cardiac imaging and it’s vital to keep current, especially for those who have yet to take boards. Cardiac was recently named as an independent section of the boards. It’s sink or swim, and if you seek a fully-loaded life raft, read on.
This is a quick read and an excellent guide for those who are getting started in cardiac MRI and need a guide to set up sequences, as well as an explanation of the variety of pathologies (at least enough for the boards).
The first chapter is an excellent synopsis to guide the cardiac neophyte through the intricacies of setting up the appropriate planes, placing leads, gating, standard sequences, and excellent post processing techniques. Velocity-coded cine (VEC), an invaluable technique for septal defects and valvular abnormalities, is covered in an intelligent discussion. Additional chapters are dedicated to congenital heart disease, evaluation of the thoracic aorta, cardiac masses, valvular heart disease, pericardial disease and cardiomyopathy, and ischemic heart disease.
The book is well-illustrated, although may of the pictures are small and its difficult to appreciate detail. However, the MRI images are of pristine quality with detailed captions.
A CD is also included that is touted as containing multisequence examples of the cases covered in the text. However, I was disappointed by the implementation, as I repeatedly experienced errors running the macromedia director application, including software crashes while trying to switch between example sequences.
Inadequately tested software aside, Dynamic Cardiovascular MRI: Principles and Practical Examples is a straightforward read. Used in conjunction with case presentation packages, it offers ample preparation for the upcoming cardiac section of boards. The text would also serve as a fine introduction to cardiac imaging for those already practicing.
By Dr. G. Eric MorganAuntMinnie.com contributing writer
March 8, 2004
Dr. Morgan is a radiology resident at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA.
The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of Defense.
The opinions expressed in this review are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of AuntMinnie.com.
Copyright © 2004 AuntMinnie.com
