The head and neck anatomy is a complex area and if one simply wanted to just learn and revise anatomy, it would be reasonable to pick up an anatomy book for reference. However, it can be helpful to have a book that puts clinical practice into perspective by detailing and illustrating the surgical anatomy that is most relevant to a surgeon: Clinical Head and Neck Anatomy for Surgeons certainly does this nicely.
There are 32 chapters in this book. Each chapter covers the anatomy of a key area in the head and neck and generally includes a short introduction, any relevant embryology, clinical application and also occasionally describes anatomical hazards in surgery. With only 322 pages of reading, together with high-quality medical illustrations and clinical photographs, this book makes an informative and pleasant read.
Personally, the only let down of this book was the chapter on middle ear anatomy, which only had basic photographs of a temporal bone and did not have a single illustration. The written description in this chapter was thorough, however, one would probably have to get a separate reference book for any further otology learning.
In general, this book is superb for its coverage of the head and neck anatomy and a valuable addition to the trainee’s surgical library.
