CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM, 3RD EDN

Abstract

CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM, 3RD EDN R. W. Baloh and V. Honrubia. 2001. New York: Oxford University Press. Price $98.50. Pp. 428. ISBN 0‐19‐513982‐8. The text presents a panorama of neurophysiology, medicine and surgery related to the vestibular system. The book commences with basic concepts of anatomy and physiology, primarily of the vestibular system and its central interactions, which is restricted to about one‐quarter of the text. This is probably an appropriate balance and many other ‘textbooks’ and ‘handbooks’ in the field have tended to be imbalanced in favour of extensive accounts of physiology at the expense of medicine. Next comes the history and symptomatology of the dizzy patient followed logically, in turn, by the techniques and results of bedside examination and then by laboratory testing. Within this section the investigation of Hearing is also dealt with succinctly, but comprehensively, as an essential adjunct to vestibular testing. The second half of the book is appropriately concerned with the diagnosis, pathology and management of neuro‐otological disorders arising from both peripheral vestibular and central nervous disorders, including final sections on pharmacological and rehabilitative, largely physiotherapeutic, management. The authors’ account of neuro‐otological diseases and disorders is impressively knowledgeable and comprehensive, ranging through infection, degeneration, hydrops, immune disorders, migraine, vascular disease, tumor and trauma, toxic and metabolic disorders, development and heredity. Numerous pictures derived from imaging studies are also given where appropriate. The scope of this central section will appeal to a wide range of medical specialists dealing with topics far beyond the immediate confines of the VIIIth nerve. The final topic of rehabilitation is not dealt with in such depth and tends to be preoccupied with the rehabilitation at the level of basic physiological mechanisms. Cognitive behavioural therapy receives no mention and yet a clear explanation of the nature of dizziness …