Pain: A Review Guide

Abstract

Pain: A Review Guide is edited by Alaa Abd-Elsayed, who is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin as an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology. Along with his team of other well-known authors, he has made an honest effort to assemble a compendium of various aspects of pain medicine and allied disciplines including physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and palliative care. This book is written in an easy-to-read format and covers almost every aspect of pain in a systematic manner, with up-to-date references. The book is divided into 31 parts and further subdivided into 277 chapters. In effect, each part is a chapter, and the chapters of the book are short subsections. Apportioning of the content into 277 segments makes it very easy for the reader to master almost all information communicated on a given topic in as little as 10–20 minutes. Considering the strengths first, the book is a quick and comprehensive source for fellows preparing for board examinations. The book covers most pain medicine topics covered in international curricula. Chapters have a consistent format including high yield points for examinations and multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter. In total, the book posits 831 questions, a significant quantity, which is comparable to any other pain medicine or board review resource available on the market. We were particularly pleased to see chapters that cover research and study design (Part II); psychological, social, and cultural aspects of pain (Parts VI and VII); palliative and hospice care (Part XIX); physical medicine and work rehabilitation (Parts XXII and XXIII); complementary medicine (Part XXIV); and pain relief in areas of deprivation and conflict (Part XXIX), topics which we find are often neglected in review materials. The book also concludes with a chapter discussing learning theories and examination taking strategies, which is a good way to finish on a positive note. A major limitation of the text is the paucity of relevant figures, tables, and flowcharts. Chapter 97, on anticoagulation in interventional pain management, is one of the most egregious examples of this lack of visual aids. In the article by Narouze et al,1 the guidelines for antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications for interventional spine and pain procedures are expressed very nicely unlike what is presented in the 9-page prose explanation that is used in this review book. No book on pain medicine is complete unless procedures that involve an understanding of anatomy are supplemented by figures showing the relevant anatomy. Chapter 157 on the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) shows anatomic details of the anterior aspect of the joint, but for an interventional pain specialist, a detailed knowledge of posterior view is more important. The posterior aspect of the joint is the most common entry point for SIJ procedures, and figures to assist in image-guided interventions or even diagnostic tests for SIJ pain are lacking. Similarly, although Chapters 104–107 (nerve blocks of upper extremity) do contain several anatomical figures, other chapters highlighting important blocks are devoid of figures detailing the imaging of these procedures, including Chapters 108–120 and 150 (nerve blocks of the lower extremity and pelvis); Chapters 129, 130, 133, and 134 (nerve blocks of head and neck); and Chapters 98–100 and 189–191 (ganglion nerve blocks and stimulation, kyphoplasty, and vertebroplasty), although the authors did provide good textual details. Interestingly, every chapter begins on an odd page on the right-hand side of the book. This leaves at least half a page and up to one and half pages blank at the end of a previous chapter, which can be utilized for student notes between the chapters. However, we feel the authors could have used this space to accommodate more figures and tables in the book. Also, no digital version of the book was made available for review. In summary, Pain: AReview Guide by Alaa Abd-Elsayed is a high-quality review of the diverse specialty of pain medicine. As reviewers, we would recommend this book to residents or fellows who are preparing for their board examination on pain medicine. An eBook would be a better alternative for residents, and the hardcover would be more useful in a departmental library. If additional tables, flowcharts, and figures on image-guided interventions were to be included along with the text in subsequent editions, the book may prove to be one of the best and ready resources to refresh one’s knowledge when seeing patients in a busy pain clinic. Rajesh Mahajan, MD, FIAPMSmriti Gulati, MDDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain MedicineGovernment Medical CollegeJammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India[email protected]