I'm building a list of books and resources I have found useful - but I would like to include contributions from others as well as my own. There are so many ways to tackle radiology and we all learn differently. A quick reminder though - textbooks are there to broaden your knowledge and reinforce the case based learning you have from general reporting and teaching sessions. You need to hang the book knowledge on experience.
If you have any suggestions, get in contact with me through the site, Twitter or Facebook. Watch this space - it will keep growing! x
Invaluable resources
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I attribute a large proportion of my success to Radiopaedia. I said to myself that if I passed my exams I would sign up as a regular donor to the site and am proud to say that I upheld that promise. The format that Radiopaedia presents it information, well structured with high yield facts, spoke to my learning style and I found it easy to read. The linked cases were easily accessible if I had a quick query, and scrolling up and down is very user friendly. I used it in the back of tutorials and teaching, and during reporting shifts - constantly looking things up and having a quick read as I worked through. I also found it particularly useful for practicing for e-Film Reading, as I made my own playlists and had the opportunity to use others'. You can find my playlists here if you are interested. Radiopaedia also run some excellent courses - a found the Neuroradiology workshop very useful in the months before my exams.
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I was lucky enough to have a StatDx login provided by my training site, and it proved a valuable resource. That said, I didn't use it as much as some of my colleagues - who swear by it. One of my study partners used it as his primary resource. It definitely spoke to his learning style as he was able to work through the collections of articles and cases by topic in a structured way. My greatest use of StatDx came from their collections of differentials - for example studying the pathologies associated with the pineal region. When we ran cases, our group usually had laptops with Radiopaedia.org and StatDx open to read around the topic if we needed.
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General reading
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Books I read & recommend ...
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Brant & Helms' Fundamentals of Diagnostic Radiology
I read about three quarters of Brant & Helms' about six months before my written exam, highlighter in hand. I bought the set where the book is divided into four and I absolutely destroyed them in a mess of pink and orange highlighter. It was worth it. I picked it up when I was ready to start getting very serious about preparation and give myself a good solid base-coat of knowledge. Others I have spoken to started this one in second year, which is when I first bought it, which would be ideal as the knowledge is very grass roots. Not comprehensive, but a good start and quick reference.
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I used Primer variably, but some swear by it. When I first started out, I remember hearing the legend of an amazing trainee/medallist who came before me who carried her primer with her everywhere - scribbling notes in the margins in every tutorial. I bought Primer and did the same on and off, however it is more of a summary book than deep reading on the topics. I found if I was having a bad week, and I was needing to gain some clarity about a subject, I would carry around Primer for a few days and scribble notes until I had a better grasp on the concept. Sometimes just reading some structured, high yield facts is enough to kick you back into gear.
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Chest radiology​
Books I read & recommend ...
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Felson's Principles of Chest Roentgenology a Programmed Text
This book. Stay with me here because it seems a little corny, and a little basic to start - but stick with it! It is a relatively quick read, but I firmly believe it should be compulsory reading for all new radiology registrars. I read it before I started on the accredited program and I was better for it. It teaches the basics of approaching the CXR, and then teaches you structure. If you turn up on day one with a solid understanding of why we look at the CXR the way we do, you are already off to a good start. But it isn't just for juniors. A colleague of mine who was re-sitting the chest exam (and is now a well rounded chest subspecialist) borrowed my copy before tackling the viva for the second time - and it helped to reinforce her structure even as a senior trainee.
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Fundamentals of High Resolution Lung CT
I wish that I would have read this prior to my exams. This small textbook by Webb & Elicker is my favourite textbook. It not only goes through the fundamentals of HRCT (as the name suggests) but also provides a solid framework for tackling interstitial lung disease. The chest viva can be difficult to navigate, especially if you get lost in concepts such as interstitial lung disease, and this book has a way of helping to simplify the concepts. The summary tables are particularly useful for understanding patterns of disease and formulating differential lists (e.g. patterns of nodules, gas trapping).
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Body radiology​
Books I read & recommend ...
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Mayo Clinic Gastrointestinal Imaging Review
The body viva can be difficult in part due to the sheer range of modalities which can come up. You need to be proficient in MRI, CT, plain film, ultrasound and occasionally barium studies. Mayo presents a case based resource which takes you through a number of high yield cases. I like how it starts with a crash course in barium and moves through organ by organ. The book itself is quite pricey, however most departments I have worked at have a copy of the first edition (with the yellow cover) in their library. It is worth a flick through early in the preparation so you know what you are in for.
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