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| BOOK REVIEW |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 66
| Issue : 6 | Page : 1870-1871 |
Self-assessment and review of neurosciences
Harsh Deora
Department of Neurosurgery, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| Date of Web Publication | 28-Nov-2018 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Harsh Deora
Department of Neurosurgery, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.246285
How to cite this article:
Deora H. Self-assessment and review of neurosciences. Neurol India 2018;66:1870-1 |
Authors : Nayil Khursheed, Rumana Makhdoomi
Edition : 2ndEdition
Publisher : Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers
Pages : 265
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny”
– C.S Lewis.
Dr. Nayil Khursheed has not always been blessed with the best of circumstances but this has not dampened his passion for neurosciences. Having travelled the length of the country and back during his neurosurgical training, he, along with Dr. Rumana Makhdoomi, bring us a self assessment book comprising of more than 750 multiple choice questions aimed at testing all aspects of neurosurgery, neuropathology and neuroanatomy. Each section of the book, apart from neuropathology and neuroradiology, is preceded with a section on “Important theory'- a ‘bare-to-the- bones’ review of a subsection of neuroscience.
Sections cover all important aspects of neurosurgery and not surprisingly, ‘Head Injury’ is the first. Touching upon all aspects of the types and management of head injuries, the theory is followed by questions on the same subjects. Similar sections on ‘Brain Tumors’, ‘Neurovascular’ and ‘Spine’ follow. By the end of section on ‘Spine,’ all major topics have been covered, the self-assessment included.
This is followed by a ‘Miscellaneous’ section which deals with the topics of ‘Pain’, ‘Peripheral nerves’, ‘Epilepsy’, investigations like ‘Trans-cranial Doppler’, as well as ‘Infections’, ‘Vascular syndromes’ and ‘Important signs during neurological examination’. There is even a section of ‘Congenital syndromes and their salient aspects’. This is followed by a question bank of more than 200 questions dealing with this section alone, allowing one to revise and understand what has been read before.
The last three sections deal with ‘Allied Neurosciences- Anatomy, Pathology and Radiology’, knowledge of which is more than essential for a neurosurgeon worth his salt. Question from the journals related to Radiology and Neurosurgery are added for a good measure.
It is often said that, ‘life is like a multiple-choice question; sometimes the choices confuse you more than the question’.
This book is primarily aimed for Neurosurgery aspirants and residents in the early stages of their career, who wish to develop a proficiency in problem-solving. The book has purposefully been kept light and handy and in the sea of entrance exam books, it stands out like a lighthouse. Questions are not based on rote-learning, rather rely on understanding of the subject, an aspect which is often seen to be missing in the 'millennial' generation of residents. Forewords from distinguished faculties like Prof. Donlin M Long, Prof. Suresh Nair and Prof. Altaf Umar Ramzan are a testament to the books’ character.
Quality often involves striving for perfection and infinite improvement, living it day in and day out, decade by decade. For an author, it often involves extensive revisions edition to edition. Herein lies the ‘crazing’ of the pottery. The questions and references have not been updated. There is no mention of the World Health Organisation 2016[1] glioma classification when presenting questions based on the same classification. References continue to be quoted from Youmans 5th edition[2] though the 7th edition[3] was released more than a year ago. Due to the vast nature of the subject, some topics were bound to be missed. Movement disorders and most of functional neurosurgery are omitted; this needs to be addressed especially at a time where they continue to grow at a rapid pace, especially in India.[4]
A diamond with a flaw is, however, worth more than a pebble without imperfections. The book achieves what it was aimed for--to act as a reference book on the most important topics in neurosciences and provide quality self-assessment for the aspirant. The explanatory notes for most of the answers and the authenticity of questions included are its USPs (unique selling propositions). More importantly, books of such nature need to be authored by experienced neurosurgeons like Dr. Nayil Khursheed, so that we can widen the circle of service.[5] Authoring this book is a reflection of his life's endeavor to teach and a validation of his professional knowledge,[6] both of which have been proven without a shadow of doubt.
| » References | |  |
| 1. | Louis DN, Perry A, Reifenberger G, von Deimling A, Figarella-Branger D, Cavenee WK, et al. The 2016 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the central nervous system: A summary. Acta Neuropathol 2016;131:803-20.  |
| 2. | Winn HR, Youmans JR. Youmans neurological surgery (5 th edition). Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders. 2004. |
| 3. | Winn HR. Youmans and Winn Neurological Surgery, Seventh Edition. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders. 2016. |
| 4. | Dwarkanath S, Deora H. Neurosurgery for movement disorders in India: Balloons to Electrodes. Neurol India 2018; 66, Suppl S1:5-9. |
| 5. | Rajshekar V. Widening the circle of service: The gift of academic neurosurgery. Neurol India 2018;66:637-41. |
| 6. | Behari S. Applying the Ockham's razor…or the Hickam's dictum? Neurol India 2015;63:1-3. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
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