Library
APS Bulletin • Volume 18, Number 3, 2008
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Pain 2008—An Updated Review, Refresher Course Syllabus
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
José Castro-Lopes, Srinivasa Raja, Martin Schmetz, (Eds). Seattle, IASP Press, 2008. Soft cover, 416 pages. ISBN 978-0931092-73-2. $40.
This soft cover, large format book was given to enrollees at refresher courses that took place in conjunction with and prior to the 12th International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) World Congress on Pain in Glasgow in August 2008. The book is printed with large, readable type, but the illustrations are mediocre. The pea green cover is not particularly enticing, either.
Forty-one chapters cover aspects of both basic science to pain management and clinical diagnostic and treatment strategies. Some chapters have considerable depth and are replete with references; others are more superficial with limited references. For example, the chapter on migraine by Ferrari and Goadsby is practically a textbook with 196 references. If you happen to be interested with a topic covered in one of the more detailed chapters, this would be a valuable book because of the attention to the latest thinking in an area of study. When the next IASP refresher courses are held in 2010, a newer book will likely be available, probably with similar topics and, even, the same authors. Nonetheless, this book could be a useful source for background information on a wide array of topics on pain.
Dr. Loeser is Professor Emeritus of Neurological Surgery and Anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
