Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 17, Number 3, 2007
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Pain
Reviewed by Brenden O’Donnell, MD
Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Pain J. H. Von Roenn, J. A. Paice, and M. E. Preodor, New York, McGraw-Hill, 2006. Soft cover, 364 pages, ISBN 0-07-144478-5, $69.95.
The most recent entry in Lange’s Current Diagnosis and Treatment series is an introductory text covering a broad cross section of pain. It reads easily, addresses the complexity of the subject, and conveys current thinking in pain management in a brief package. The book’s intended audience is primary care practitioners and medical trainees.
The book begins with two introductory chapters identifying relevant, problematic issues and the challenge of assessment. The four following chapters describe different classes of treatments that ideally would be combined to create a multidisciplinary approach. The bulk of the text consists of 13 chapters addressing frequent pain complexes (e.g., back pain, fibromyalgia, headaches) or well-defined specific pain complexes (e.g., cancer, neuropathic, orofacial, sickle cell). The book concludes with chapters covering pain in the elderly and medicolegal dilemmas.
Most chapters address the varied aspects of pain based upon a multidisciplinary focus. However, almost all the chapters are written by different authors, and the direction of the chapters varies greatly; they all seem to be written to stand alone, consequently, the text is sometimes a bit disjointed when chapters are read sequentially. Although most chapters are well written and edited, a few chapters have contradictory internal references. The chapter on interventional procedures was quite lavish in some of its recommendations, including an endorsement of 5–7 corticosteroid injections per year. The chapter on pharmacologic therapies was written by a palliative care physician and presented a perspective not shared with most physicians treating acute and chronic pain.
Strong elements of the book include the chapter layouts, which have a clear, hierarchical organization. The tables are very informative and concise. The flowcharts in the chapter on back pain are serpentine in their layout, but comprehensive in their scope. Generally, references to journal articles are good, if a bit generous at times. A few chapters had links to Web sites, but I would have liked them in every chapter.
As intended, the book provides a good overview sufficient for educating a student or new clinician. It is too superficial to be useful to the experienced practitioner who might choose a resource more specific to the patient’s condition or more thorough in its discussion. It might serve some practitioners as a concise reference to an otherwise broad subject.
Dr. O’Donnell is acting assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.