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Book, Software, and Web Site Reviews |
Clinical Laboratory Medicine: Self-Assessment and Review, 2nd Edition. Kenneth D. McClatchey, Hesham M. Amin, and Jonathan L. Curry. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 2002, 336 pp., $39.95, softcover. ISBN 0-7817-3150-X.
University of Kentucky, Medical Center, Lexington, KY 40511
The eagerly awaited second edition of this important textbook of laboratory medicine meets and exceeds expectations. It is of approximately the same weight and page length (the type face is smaller and lighter but still easy to read) as the first edition of 1994 and has the same format of 11 major sections prepared under the supervision of well-recognized authorities, with individual chapters contributed by authors of considerable experience.
As stated in the editor’s preface, the book is intended for a wide variety of readers, including medical laboratory technicians and technologists, medical students, residents in pathology and internal medicine, clinical laboratory scientists, pathologists, and other physicians. It is comprehensive and well written and clearly meets its objective of providing a single volume reference and learning source for the intended audience.
The opening general laboratory section has outstanding chapters on aspects of laboratory management, including operational and business management, laboratory safety, information systems, and ethical issues. These chapters could form the basis of a laboratory management course for student technologists or pathology residents.
The molecular pathology section is excellent and is quite up-to-date with numerous recent references. The HLA histocompatability section is improved and expanded, including a valuable new chapter on bone marrow transplantation. The chemistry section is similar to the previous edition but contains two new chapters. The first chapter, on point-of-care testing, is thorough, well written, and clinically applicable with such sections as general concepts, historical perspectives, regulatory issues, and perspectives on cost. The second chapter, on tumor markers, is a scholarly review of this important area and represents an expansion from the previous edition, in which this topic was only briefly covered in the chapter on diagnostic enzymology. As with all textbooks, currency can occasionally be a problem as analytes (BNP, free testosterone) come into clinical usage only after publication.
The section on medical microscopy and urinalysis is characterized by outstanding color plates, which will be of value to novice learners as well as experienced practitioners. The cytogenetics section has an up-to-date section on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with excellent illustrations throughout the section. The discussion on fragile X has been moved to the molecular section, where it is discussed briefly. We were surprised that the FAB Classification System is used for the acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes instead of the WHO Classification System, which has been in print for over a year. In addition, the REAL Classification is used instead of the WHO Classification for lymphomas.
The section on hematology is comprehensive, well organized, and characterized by thorough treatment of both morphologic hematology and technical and instrumentation considerations. The coagulation section begins with a very useful overview of coagulation and contains excellent chapters on laboratory evaluation of platelet disorders, coagulation factor abnormalities, and thrombophilia. The microbiology section is excellent, with a comprehensive treatment of specimen collection and processing issues as well as chapters on bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, virology, and other aspects of microbiology. Chapters on autopsy microbiology and the role of the laboratory in infection control and hospital epidemiology will be of particular value to practitioners and students.
The immunopathology section is similar to the previous edition with only a few additions and omissions. The addition of evaluation guidelines to the chapter on monoclonal gammopathies is quite helpful clinically. The chapter on autoimmune disease and serology was not included in the current edition, and related topics such as anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, anti-nuclear antibody, dermatomyositis, Raynaud disease, and mixed connective tissue disease were not identified in the index. The very complete blood bank section has an updated section on transfusion-transmitted diseases, as well as a new chapter on immune hemolysis.
The companion self-assessment and review volume contains well-written questions with good-quality illustrations. The answer section contains not only the correct answers, but also the precise location in the textbook where the relevant information can be found. This section will be of particular help to departments struggling with requirements of competency evaluation and assessment.
In summary, this new edition is inclusive, authoritative, well organized, easy to read, and lavishly illustrated. It is a "must have" for residents, pathologists, laboratorians, and clinicians.
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