"Stroke in Children and Young Adults"

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Stroke in Children and Young Adults is the second edition of the book first published in 1994. Since the publication of the original book there has been considerable growth in interest in this field and this is reflected by a large expansion in the number of publications focusing on stroke in the young. Indeed, it is noted in the foreword that a third edition may become necessary after a much shorter interval than that between the first and second editions. It is, therefore, reassuring to find that the second edition has over 100 more pages than the first edition and that the majority of references are to articles published after 1994, with an appreciable number less than 5 years old. The second edition has drawn upon a wider range of contributors for the 17 chapters including neurologists (both adult and paediatric), neonatologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroanatomists.

Dr. Biller states in the preface that the book should address the practical needs of clinicians and in many ways this aim is met. The text is eminently readable with good use of clear subheadings making navigation easy. There is an abundance of radiographs and many tables, diagrams and clinical photographs which are almost invariably excellent and complement the text well. The tables, in particular, are likely to prove helpful to the aforementioned busy clinician. For example, tables detailing investigations for suspected vasculitis or for haemorrhagic stroke are useful aide-mémoires.

The first chapter gives a concise overview and highlights the considerable differences in stroke occurring in children and adults younger than 45 years old (this book’s definition of young adult) compared to stroke in older people. It also touches upon ...

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...oung Adults” have limited relevance to paediatric neurology practice. For the most part the diverse ages that this book covers are not dealt with in separate chapters and adult specific content is sometimes present at the apparent expense of paediatric material. For example, the chapter on nonartherosclerotic vasculopathies has more than a page on fibromuscular dysplasia (a very rare cause of childhood stroke) but only 3 sentences about the role of varicella in stroke and no discussion of so-called transient cerebral arteriopathy or focal cerebral arteriopathy of childhood which many authorities feel is one of the most frequent causes of arterial ischaemic stroke in childhood. If the reader with a paediatric practice can find a similarly high quality book but with a more focussed age range then this may ultimately be a more worthwhile addition to their bookshelf.

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