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Book reviews
Fetal Medicine: Basic Science
and Clinical Practice
2nd edition
Authors Charles H Rodeck / Martin J Whittle
Given that the first edition of this successful
postgraduate textbook was published in 1999, the
second edition was long overdue. That means,
however, that the text reflects nearly one decade of
developments in fetal medicine.
Significant improvements include the use of a
summary of key points at the start of each chapter
and self-assessment. The appendix of fetal charts,
an excellent feature of the first edition, with its use
of a standardised chart format, has been retained.
I would also commend the quality of the illustrations
in the book, with special reference to the chapter
dealing with the development of the fetal heart.
There are excellent new chapters on maternofetal cell
trafficking and the impact of maternal medication,
although the fetal implications of maternal diseases
are not considered.
The editors have again recruited an international
team of contributors who are recognised leaders in
their respective fields. They also deserve praise for a
significant reduction in the size of the book, with
1141 pages reduced to 767 and 83 chapters reduced
to 49. Much of the chapter reduction was by a
logical merging of previous related but separate
chapters into single, all-encompassing chapters.
However, there are three examples of where this has
not occurred. There are three separate chapters
dealing with the development of the heart,
development of the cardiovascular system and
management of fetal cardiac problems. There are
separate chapters on the development of the fetal
kidneys and urinary tract and management of
problems. Third, there is one chapter on the
development of the fetal head and another on the
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sonography of the central nervous system, with
limited coverage of management.
Another part of the page and chapter reduction
achieved in the second edition, however, was on the
basis of excluding any separate chapters on fetal
monitoring and including only one chapter on the
neonate. The latter is a reasonable decision as it is a
fetal textbook rather than a neonatal one. However,
the degree to which fetal monitoring is covered in
the chapters on the management of individual fetal
problems is inconsistent. I am not sure about
the rationale of having no chapters dealing with
intrapartum fetal problems, even acknowledging the
absence of developments in this area for decades.
In principle, the concept of mixing basic science,
theory and clinical management is a good one.
However, the degree to which the balance of the
three is maintained on a chapter-by-chapter basis
varies. This probably reflects both what is known
on a given topic and the interests of the contributor.
Thus, the book does not act as a comprehensive
reference manual for managing all fetal problems,
even when one makes allowance for the omission
of intrapartum chapters.
In summary, this textbook is an excellent
compilation of fetal medicine topics, each chapter
representing a definitive treatise on that subject.
The second edition has been much awaited and will
be hugely popular. The main drawbacks are an
inconsistent approach to style and an incomplete
coverage of the material.
Reviewer David James MA MD DCH FRCOG
Professor of Fetomaternal Medicine
Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008
ISBN 9780443104084
Hardcover, 767 pages, £207.00
10.1576/toag.11.3.224.27512
© 2009 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists