Pocket Atlas of Radiographic Anatomy, 3rd edition

by: Torsten B. Moeller & Emil Reif
388 pp., paperback, $44.95

This handy little book, now in its third edition, contains 177 radiographic studies covering the spectrum of normal radiographic anatomy. It will surely be of value to the medical students, radiology residents, and radiological technologists for whom it is intended. In addition, this volume may be of beneft to students in problem-based learning or case-study groups who need examples of normal radiographic anatomy for comparison to pathological radiographs. The layout of this atlas is clean and to the point throughout, with radiographic images accompanied by schematic drawings on facing pages. Pertinent labels allow rapid identifcation of structures. Image orientation is straightforward with clear titles and left/right markers where needed. Schematics are shaded to delineate overlapping structures as appropriate.

The book is divided into chapters that cover the skull, spine, upper and lower extremities, routine radiographs, spot images, tomography, gastrointestinal system, intravenous contrast studies, arteriography, venography, and special studies. Quick reference tabs facilitate navigation between chapters and a thorough index is provided. Despite being a pocket-sized atlas, image resolution is generally very good, with only occasional, very minor artifacts. Image size is small by design, but the reader will not have any diffculty identifying 95% of the structures labeled in the accompanying diagrams.
This small atlas is a very successful attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of normal radiography, in a suffciently portable and readily accessible package. For many, the benefts of this smaller volume will outweigh the need for a larger text.
 

Sean B. Maurice, Ph.D.
senior laboratory instructor
Anatomy Dept. of Northern Medical Program,
University of Northern British Columbia
Dept. of Cellular and Physiological Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

September 2010