Keeping abreast of the major strides made in the field of neuropathology, Essentials of Diagnostic Surgical Neuropathology brings out its second edition with the aim of keeping the neuroscience community updated with the new developments in neuropathology.

This second edition comes close on the heels of the fifth edition of the WHO Classification of Central Nervous System Tumours (WHO CNS5) which was published in 2021. This new edition has retained the concise, point wise format of the earlier edition, making it a handy reference book. While the major changes in this edition are in neoplastic pathology, this book also provides updates in the pathology of non-neoplastic lesions that need surgical intervention.

The highlights of the neoplastic section are:

• Description of new tumour types and subtypes included in the WHO CNS5
• Grading of tumours as per WHO CNS5
• Relevant immune profile and diagnostic molecular pathology for each tumour according to WHO CNS5. Essential and desirable diagnostic criteria, as defined by WHO CNS5, in a tabular form at the end

The salient features of the non-neoplastic section include:

• New section on Therapy-related Neuropathology
• Recent classifications of vascular malformations and epilepsy related lesions
• New section on Infectious and Inflammatory Lesions Mimicking Neoplasms
• New chapter on Surgical Pathology of Spinal Dysraphism and Other Neural Tube Defects
• Another important feature includes the addition of a new chapter on techniques viz.
• Smears in the Rapid Diagnosis of Central Nervous System Lesions
• Challenges in the Interpretation of Stereotactic Biopsies