The third revised and updated edition of this concise and practical handbook on laryngeal electromyography should be a useful reference guide to all laryngologists: the beginner and the established professional. The initial chapters give an overview and deal with the basic aspects of electrodiagnostic evaluation.
For the speed reader I would recommend Appendix I – the summary outline of selected and important facts. I only wish every handbook could distill the take home messages in ten pages! The core chapter on laryngeal EMG deals with the technical aspects well, the illustrations, though black and white, serve their purpose; a dash of colour would be great to break the monotony of the pages – perhaps one for the next edition! The EMG findings in 10 common disorders adds educational value and links theory with practice. The case studies covered in the chapter on clinical applications illustrated the usefulness of laryngeal EMG as a diagnostic tool in establishing the accurate diagnosis in complex cases as varied as myasthenia gravis or arytenoid subluxation.
For the reader looking for an evidence based review, the class of study and levels of evidence are initially explained followed by the analysis of a large number of articles, collated as tables, in a very useful appendix for the clinical researcher. The third edition of this book is certainly a notch above the second, the intraoperative monitoring section is new as is the appendix on evidence based research. The authors have done well to pack so much information in a handy sized book (under 250 pages), reasonably priced and very much readable.
