Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide, 6th edn

Review by L Flood
Middlesborough, UK

I reviewed the 3rd Edition of this book in 2011 and the 5th as recently as 20181. On both occasions I commented on the amusing preface by the senior author and this one is the best yet. I cannot improve on his description of the novelties in this update.  “Ok, this version is a complete revamp letter to letter. New are more pics and flow charts or those who chose comics over prose as a kid”. Sure enough this is highly topical, with its description of the current pandemic (which will just be a bad memory by the time you read this, I really, truly, believe) or the reassurance it gives me that, according to the recent changes in the AJCC Staging Handbook, a p16 positive Oropharyngeal  Cancer that was classified as T1N2b is now “only” T1N1 (fine by me, downstage away!)

The format will be very familiar to generations of former trainees, but it is still of great value to the more experienced, simply for “dipping in” and acquiring knowledge randomly. I now know my male pattern baldness is only Type IV of a range of I-VII. I am assured that future otologists will suffer less neck and backache as they work through an “exoscope” and not direct vision microscope. I think of all the informed consent forms I completed for parotid surgery, when I had never even heard of “first bite syndrome”. I knew that there was series of Targeted Chemotherapeutic agents with unprounceable names ending in –mab or –nib but thought that everything that preceded the suffix was meaningless and just a series of syllables drawn from a hat (read pp264-6). Who knew that Restless Legs Syndrome had anything to do with Fe deficiency in the brain? Indeed, notice here how much the whole subject of Sleep Medicine has become a mainstream ENT subspeciality.

The book closes with a very nicely reproduced series of well labelled scans, mostly of normal anatomy and there is also the plural Plus website with a digital bank of Questions and model answers. The book remains an invaluable quick reference on any ORL topic, a great last minute revision at the station or departure lounge before the end of training exam, but a highly entertaining read for the most senior. KITTENS for causes of airway obstruction, CHAOS needing an EXIT procedure or Sonic the Hedgehog will all make more sense after reading this.

I have to like an author who has spent the pandemic making model planes (we must swap notes) and I will watch out for him next time my two sons (regularly) force me to stay up all night watching UFC fights from Vegas. As two individuals can kick each other so hard as to memorably break their own legs (indeed on two occasions!) he may well be ringside I gather.

Amazon Link: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide, 6th edn
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