Differential Diagnosis of Common Complaints by Robert H. Seller

From the Publisher

Now in its fifth edition, this popular diagnostic resource continues to provide you with practical coverage of the most common complaints you're likely to see in daily practice. It's organized by symptom—rather than disease—and consistent throughout, giving you easy access to the most frequent symptoms with which your patients are likely to present. Discussions of probable causes for the complaint, historical

• Covers only the most common patient complaints so you don't have to wade through superfluous text.
• Focuses on efficient and economical imaging modalities and laboratory tests, offering you practical information necessary to exist in today's managed health care environment.
• Includes a comprehensive dermatologic section to help you through a tough-to-diagnose area of medicine.
• Provides a consistent chapter organization throughout for easy navigation and retrieval of information.

• Discusses the latest laboratory tests and imaging modalities so you can order the most effective diagnostic tests for the symptoms you see.
• Presents the dermatology section in full color to help you more easily identify skin disorders.
• Offers a two-color interior design and highlighted key concepts make information easy to find and apply.

Isaac Kleinman

This is the third edition of a clinical manual of differential diagnosis by symptoms and signs. There are 36 chapters, each on a different symptom. Each chapter evaluates a symptom according to a set format: an introductory paragraph that gives some clarifications, definitions, epidemiology, or other perspectives, followed by paragraphs on the nature of the patient, the nature of the symptom, ameliorating factors, physical findings, diagnostic studies, and less common diagnostic considerations. Each chapter is followed by five to 20 or more pertinent references. Bold print is used to emphasize important ideas. The book is designed as a guide for clinicians, residents, and students. It will be most useful for generalists. The chapters are almost all text, plus a few diagrams. Photographs are confined to the chapter on skin problems and are all in black and white. Each chapter has tables that summarize the text. This is a useful volume. The clinical approach is very helpful. Its contents are well organized and accessible. The print quality is very good. The references are up-to-date and well chosen to support and expand the clinical approach of the text. It is compact enough to be carried about. The book would be helped by better diagrams, more illustrations, and use of color. There is little else to criticize. The book is recommended.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Vincent F Carr, DO, MSA, FACC, FACP (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)
Description:This book provides a very short discussion of 36 complaints commonly encountered in a primary care clinic. The first edition was published in 1986, the fourth in 2000.
Purpose:The intent is to help physicians to accurately and efficiently diagnose common conditions. While this is a reasonable goal, the information appears to be somewhat superficial. Particularly, some of the information appears outdated, such as the listing of a barium enema to diagnose bowel tumors under the differential diagnosis of constipation.
Audience:On the surface, this book is focused on practitioners, but it does not cover much that anyone in practice has not already experienced. I would imagine this book would be most useful for physician extenders rather than practicing physicians.
Features:The format is excellent, with each chapter addressing the nature of the patient, the nature of the symptoms, associated symptoms, precipitating and aggravating symptoms, etc. For the most part, the figures are well done and easy to understand, but the lack of depth of information is a weak point.
Assessment:This is a good book for physician extenders, but of limited utility for physicians.

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents