The challenges in authoring and editing a textbook in any field of medicine are manifold. The book has to be kept current in the face of a rapidly changing knowledge-base, especially in neuroscience. The multiple authors must find a common voice and experts – often researchers – must be persuaded to wear a teacher's hat. Brainin and Heiss have achieved this admirably in their impressive volume on Stroke Medicine, which is modest in size but rich in information. There are 37 contributors to this textbook and yet it reads seamlessly and the quality is consistently high. This is perhaps due to the fact that the majority of contributors were lecturers at the European Master in Stroke Medicine Programme held at Danube University in Austria, and the material has been revised after feedback from students and young physicians.
The book comprises four sections, with 20 chapters: Etiology, pathophysiology and imaging; Clinical epidemiology and risk factors; Diagnostics and syndromes and Therapeutic strategies and neurorehabilitation. The order of chapters is such that some background knowledge is assumed. For instance, the definition of stroke is not discussed until the fifth chapter. Some topics such as the stroke syndromes and stroke-related dementia are covered very well. Multiple authorship has led to repetition in some areas, in particular when discussing risk factors. The pathophysiology of stroke is discussed succinctly and thoughtfully. The chapter on Neuroradiology is a little disjointed because three authors have separately authored the subsections. What I found lacking was a good discussion of Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs) in a separate chapter. The therapeutics section could also have been more practice oriented, considering that this is a textbook.
These are but minor failings in an overall excellent volume. It purportedly targets postgraduate trainee physicians. I would recommend it to clinical neurologists and neuropsychiatrists as well. The advanced undergraduate will also find it to be a great source of information. I am convinced that this textbook will see many editions.
