This pocket-sized book aims to provide a clinical reference guide through a series of review chapters. The editors, Brent A Senior and Yvonne Chan, have produced a comprehensive text through the work of predominantly North American and Canadian co-authors of varying seniority, from resident to professor, with a number of established authors from across the globe.
This portable little book which covers both rhinology and allergy, the latter of which at times constitutes an afterthought in registrars’ revision, was immediately familiar as it is formatted reflecting the style of Pasha’s Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, an indispensable text for registrars in training. Like Pasha, this book is published by Plural Publishing and the success of this text lies in the presentation of detailed yet salient information in bullet point format.
The introductory sections on history, embryology and anatomy and physiology are a delight to read, and concise enough as a gateway to the clinically relevant sections on ‘Evaluation and Diagnosis’, ‘Sinonasal Diseases and their Surgical Management’, ‘Allergy’ and the ‘Surgical Management of Skull Base Disorders’. The information presented is up to date, clinically relevant, comprehensive and extremely easy to navigate. In particular, chapters on radiology, sinonasal manifestations of systemic disease, complications of endoscopic surgery and allergen immunotherapy, stand out in presenting complex information concisely and clearly. The chapter on ‘Objective Measures of Nasal Function’ is well-written and, like the remainder of the book, the information is accurate and comprehensive. It is, however, less directly clinically relevant and, to an unfamiliar reader, the distinction between clinical and research applications of the measures described may be unclear. Nonetheless, the chapter provides an excellent overview of a variety of measures and is best approached judiciously
Though some would consider the distinct lack of illustration, with only a handful of infrequently annotated black and white images, a criticism in the age of the smartphone, in the handful of times where I felt supplementary illustration would have been welcome, this was easily accessed via reliable online ENT resources. One drawback, which certainly does not detract greatly from the overall quality of this book, is the lack of content on olfactory anatomy, physiology and pathology. This is, however, a minor comment as the remainder of the text is superbly comprehensive.
The editors have achieved a great deal in attaining consistency in the detail of information presented concisely from a number of authors. It fulfills its objective of providing a clinical referencing guide aimed at registrars and those preparing for exams. This portable, easy-to-read, comprehensive, navigable and up-to-date textbook is certainly relevant and would be helpful addition to the bookshelf of any ENT department, or indeed the satchel of any trainee wishing to consolidate their knowledge in rhinology. I certainly expect this book to become an oft-referenced and well-travelled companion to my Pasha.
