This book is not a “CT book” per se, but is still reviewed for you on MDCT.net. Why? Because in radiology, it is increasingly important to understand the context of a modality like MDCT within the rest of the diagnostic options available to the clinician and radiologist. To quote the author in his preface: “The emphasis is on the choice of imaging procedures, expected diagnostic yield, a discussion of the imaging findings, and the possible differential diagnosis”. The book is a reference book, intended to be used by more advanced readers, since common imaging studies of common disorders are are only mentioned briefly, and the focus is clearly on uncommon findings in uncommon diseases.

The book is divided into three major parts, dealing with the digestive system (in over 600 pages), the genitourinary system (in approximately 300 pages) and other structures such as the peritoneum, spleen, adrenals and abdominal vasculature (in the remaining 200 pages). From a CT point of view, CT and MDCT are somewhat underrepresented in the figures, especially in the first chapters discussing the esophagus, stomach, and the rest of the bowel from the duodenum to the rectum. Most of the figures represent barium studies, and the occasional CT image is mostly from helical CT and not necessarily from MDCT. Even in the chapters on liver and pancreas, ultrasonography and MRI dominate the figures. The part on the genitourinary system offers more CT images, as does the third part on other structures. In addition to the imaging studies presented, occasional line drawings are very educational and help explain functional and anatomical issues discussed in the text.

Independent of the CT figures, the text is mostly exceptional and discusses the various aspects of the pathologies presented extensively. This discussion includes the fundamental role of CT, although due to the speed of development in MDCT, novel approaches are not always included in the full extent of their possibilities.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously involved in abdominal imaging, primarily as a reference book, even if the focus is not on MDCT alone. The novice in body imaging will probably have to look for something else that delivers more basic knowledge and discusses protocols in more detail.