For Neurointerventionalists, the fundamentals of procedural skill sets are ingrained during their Fellowship training years. Majority of the books and resources used during this training are foundational building blocks aimed at trainees in the formative years of their careers. Though this foundational learning and training is essential, experienced physicians know that the procedural tips and tricks that are accumulated and honed over years of clinical practice are critical – both to a physician's success and, more importantly, a patient's outcome. Unfortunately, the resource materials aimed at sharing this procedural knowledge are scarce. Thankfully, Dr. Vipul Gupta, along with co-editors Dr. Ajit Puri and Dr. Rajsrinivas Parthasarathy, has compiled a goldmine of case based procedural insights in 100 Interesting Case Studies in Neurointervention: Tips and Tricks. This book does an excellent job providing the type of experience based information that physicians need throughout their careers in Neurointervention.
Following the prompting of colleagues, Dr. Gupta embarked on collating these cases with the goal of providing “… a practical teaching atlas, a quick reference for Neurointerventionalists when handling challenging situations.” With cases contributed from leading physicians in the field, Dr. Gupta and his co-editors have done a wonderful job of concisely providing the reader with “the technique employed [or] 'the how I do it', the decision making process, alternate clinical management options, and pre-and post-procedure images.” Each case concludes with a 'Tips and Tricks' section, where readers at every stage of their career can learn invaluable procedural approaches, maneuvers, and bailouts. This case-based approach to tips and tricks is how Dr. Gupta's compilation sets itself apart as it provides readers the aggregate value of the lessons learned from one hundred distinctive procedural challenges. The 100 cases are nicely organized into three sections. The first 58 cases address aneurysm treatment (Part 1). Cases 59 to 80 pertain to arteriovenous malformation therapy (Part 2). The last section (Part 3) contains cases 81 to 100 that deal with treating stroke and carotid disease.
Neurointerventionalists everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Drs Gupta, Puri, and Parthasarathy and to all the colleagues who contributed cases to this book. It provides the Neurointerventional community with a practical resource book that successfully captures career based knowledge. Years of accumulated procedural experience have been concisely and eloquently captured in this book, and the tips and tricks shared will equip readers at all different phases of their practice with techniques and procedural approaches that can be used in their day-to-day clinical practice. Dr. Gupta's work is insightful and instructive, and it can be utilized to strengthen technical expertise that will lead to improving clinical outcomes.