I enjoyed reading this book and was surprised at how much practically useful information was contained within such a slim volume. The 171-page volume was easy to read in its entirety in a short space of time. It’s small enough to carry around, and the concise chapters allow reading of an entire topic in a short space of time – I finished reading most of it between cases in theatres, definitely an advantage for busy clinicians seeking to update themselves.
Widespread use of imaging has led to a significant increase in the detection of small renal masses. As a consequence, the management of these is a common topic of discussion at MDTs, and this book comprehensively brings together the entire spectrum of diagnosis and management in a small volume. The book starts with the basics of anatomy, pathology and diagnostic modalities, including interesting discussions on the role of renal biopsy and the natural history of renal masses. Ablative techniques of treatment are well covered, with clear descriptions of the technical aspects and outcomes. The level of detail covered for surgical options is also surprising for such a compact volume, such as details of access devices, instruments and optics for LESS and NOTES. The outcomes of various interventions are well reviewed, and there is clear guidance on follow-up. The short chapter on challenging situations in robotic partial nephrectomy was very interesting.
It is well illustrated with colour photographs and line diagrams, and contains tables that are useful for comparison, such as the nephrometry parameters for the RENAL and PADUA systems. Algorithms to aid decision-making are very useful for MDT discussions as well as for trainees preparing for clinical scenarios in the examinations. For trainees, this book provides comprehensive and authoritative coverage of renal masses, and includes an overview of training and simulation in the management of small renal masses.
This book achieves a very good balance between providing good depth of information in a broad overview of the subject without becoming unwieldy and too sub-specialised for the general urologist or trainee.
