Neurology is primarily characterized by a variety of diseases which seem very similar and are therefore difficult to distinguish between. Skill at differential diagnosis is therefore absolutely paramount.
Neurological Differential Diagnosis is a streamlined handbook of prioritized differential diagnosis, to be used both in clinical practice and for exam review.
By presenting differential diagnosis in order of frequency and importance, this book provides a practical handbook for clinicians in training, as well as a potential resource for quick board review. Whilst the book covers the most important syndromes and disease entities, readers are referred to other texts for more exhaustive differentials. By limiting differentials in this way - to the most likely and most serious diagnoses - the reader can more easily recall relevant disease processes when faced with a particular clinical situation, whether it be a patient in the emergency room or a difficult question on the board examination.
The book specifically targets neurology residents and fellows, with overlap to neurosurgery and psychiatry. Internal medicine physicians with an interest in neurological problems and medical students looking for an edge in clinical neuroscience would also benefit from this text.
The content is primarily mid-level material, in a pedagogic format.
In order to organize the students' thought processes concise tables and line drawing templates are included. The book is organized into broad chapters by type of disorder and some overlap occurs between particular chapters.
Neurological Differential Diagnosis: A Prioritized Approach provides a practical, problem-based differential diagnosis for the entire spectrum of neurological disease.
The unique aspect of this book is that the differential diagnosis lists are prioritized by listing the most common possibilities first. Furthermore, less common diagnoses that are potentially fatal or disabling in the acute period (diagnoses that "you don't want to miss") are also highlighted. So the most common and the most dangerous disorders are given greater weight than rare or slowly evolving conditions that are less urgent, like a top 10 list of most common clinical neurological scenarios.
Moreover, each differential also contains characteristics that help distinguish the specific diagnoses. Neurological Differential Diagnosis: A Prioritized Approach is a user-friendly and easily understandable guide to the most common and most dangerous neurological conditions.
Neurological Differential Diagnosis: A Prioritized Approach has been written for practitioners and medical trainees with an interest in neurological diagnosis. This includes neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry residents, also internal medicine or family medicine residents, and, of course, medical students. Primary care practitioners should also find the organization of this book useful in their daily practice.
