Clinical Chemistry 51: 1321-1322, 2005;
10.1373/clinchem.2004.041715
(Clinical Chemistry. 2005;51:1321-1322.)
© 2005 American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Inc.
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Book, Software, and Web Site Reviews |
Handbook of Clinical Laboratory Testing During Pregnancy. Ann M. Gronowski, editor. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2004, 474 pp., $145.00, hardcover (1 CD). ISBN 1-58829-270-3.
Jay L. Bock
Department of Pathology, Stony Brook University, School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8691
Pregnancy-related testing has a fascinating complexity, largely related to its role as a crystal ball. Tests to predict respiratory distress syndrome range from the artful, laborious chromatography of lipids to clever applications of biophysical techniques such as fluorescence polarization. Hemolytic disease of the newborn is predicted by the classic, nowadays rare technique of scanning spectrophotometry, whereas the notoriously difficult prediction of premature labor is aided by an ultramodern immunoassay. The possibility of fetal trisomy is derived from a panel of biomarkers by use of a uniquely complicated multivariate calculation. The pregnancy test itself is a relatively straightforward immunoassay, but it is famously subject to discordant results that can have horrific consequences.
This challenging subject surely requires an up-to-date textbook that is authoritative but accessible to the average clinician or laboratorian. The multiauthored Handbook of Clinical Laboratory Testing During Pregnancy, edited by Dr. Ann Gronowski of Washington University, admirably fits the bill.
The book comprises 19 chapters that span all of the topics mentioned above as well as many others, including thyroid disease, liver disease, cytogenetic testing, ectopic pregnancy, congenital infections, hematologic and immunologic disorders, diabetes, and hypertensive disorders. Testing for molecular genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, is one unfortunate omission. Many of the authors are eminent in the fields of their chapters, and they and the Editor achieve an impressive consistency of style. The general aim is to educate and advise about best current practice, rather than to present a mass of technical detail. This concise approach makes it feasible, even enjoyable, to read the book from cover to cover, something that cannot be said of many medical textbooks. Alternatively, as a quick reference, this book is likely to provide what you really need to know. Many good figures and tables are included, and the book is generally attractive, although color is used for only a few micrograph illustrations. For those instances when additional detail is needed, the reference lists are ample.
A bonus is that the entirety of this text is included on an accompanying CD-ROM. Of course, schemes for distributing but protecting digital content are another realm of fascinating complexity. The approach used here is Adobe e-book, and installing it took some time, first because I had removed the e-book module from my Adobe Acrobat program to has-ten its sluggish startup, and second because of the required authentication. Once past this annoyance, a convenient copy of the book was immediately at hand on the hard drive, offering useful capabilities such as full-text searching.
