The book has a clearly stated aim to help readers in their preparation for board examination, however it may be read with some interest also for readers without such incentives. The format and layout of the book serves the purpose of the book well. The title is concise and the format is pure Q&A, where some elaboration is provided. The book contains 805 multiple-choice questions (with corresponding answers in the back) from the entire field of neurosurgery, but also covering other neighboring fields like neurology, neuropathology, neuroradiology, pharmacology, and more. If the reader should identify significant knowledge gaps, it is necessary to use other sources to fill these gaps, but the questions effectively identify them for you. The images in the book are illustrative and of good greyscale quality. I have no doubt that this book will be valuable to every resident or neurosurgeon facing an upcoming examination.

This reader was not preparing for any upcoming examination, and I must admit I read a substantial fraction of the questions with a general curiosity, but where I found the neurosurgical relevance less obvious. One example was a question concerned with risk factors for stroke in HIV-positive patients. Another example was identify an immunosuppressive agent that inhibits interleukin-2. Also, if you look for a clinical refresher only within the field of neurosurgery, the level of detail in questions concerning neurological diseases like myasthenia gravis and narcolepsy will probably seem of lesser relevance to you. Some readers will also be surprised by en passant advice in the answer section, for instance advocating amitriptyline for tension headache when this was irrelevant to the question and given the fact that most tension headaches should not be medicated. That said, the anatomical questions and clinical (neurosurgical) questions are with sufficient detail and relevance that I think most neurosurgical readers will find useful and stimulating. Some clinical answers can naturally be debated, for instance when defining the optimal treatment for a certain condition, however in most instances the answers are well balanced and clear. Finally, for readers not preparing for an examination, having questions structured by topic would be useful. Subdivision of the book would in this manner reflect subspecialities in neurosurgery and perhaps add increased value to a wider audience, however I realize that mimicking an examination with questions delivered more chaotically probably is the authors’ intention.

This book will prepare you for examination and identify your knowledge gaps effectively. Every unit, or even subspecialized section, should have a copy readily available as a source of study, refresher, or question bank to students and residents. The paperback and convenient size of the book invites the owner to carry it with him or herself during busy clinical hours as well. I would like to congratulate Dr. Shaya for a clearly written, concise, and, for most parts, relevant Q&A book within the entire field of neurosurgery with the additional teasers from relevant neighboring topics. In line with the aim of the book, those preparing for an examination will find this book most useful.