Diseases of the Brain, Head & Neck, Spine is a syllabus of the renowned annual International Diagnostic Course in Davos (IDKD), which had its fortieth anniversary in the spring of 2008.
The book is written by international experts in the fields of brain, head and neck, and spine imaging. For brain and spine pathologies, the book is disease-oriented, i.e. the chapters pertain to different disease entities, such as brain tumours, brain ischaemia, demyelinating diseases and lumbar degenerative disc disease. For head and neck pathologies, the chapters relate to the various anatomical regions, for example the temporal bone, the pharynx and oral cavity, and the larynx.
The book also covers two satellite courses:  the nuclear medicine course “Diamond” and the paediatric course “Kangaroo”. The chapters for these satellite symposia cover several selected topics, such as imaging of dementia and extrapyramidal symptoms for nuclear medicine and paediatric brain tumours and ultrasonography of newborn brain and spine for paediatrics.
The chapters are short and concise and update the reader regarding the state of the art in each field. Most, but unfortunately not all, chapters are accompanied by imaging material. Moreover, extensive literature references are provided.
In summary, this book, which was conceived as a syllabus to the renowned IDKD, is a valuable source of information both for residents in radiology and for experienced radiologists wishing to be updated in the field. While it cannot replace conventional textbooks in neuro-imaging, it provides a quick and accessible overview of the current state of the art.