Philip Shtasel | Radiologist, 82

Philip Shtasel, 82, of Haverford, a radiologist and author of a guide for patients, died Nov. 14 of a ruptured aortic aneurysm at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood.

For 24 years, Dr. Shtasel maintained a radiology practice in Bala Cynwyd. He was codirector of the department of imaging at the former Metropolitan Hospital and was on the staff of Graduate Hospital when he retired in 1998. He was past president of the Philadelphia Roentgen Ray Society, a group dedicated to the science of radiology.

Dr. Shtasel wrote a textbook for radiologists and the book Medical Tests and Diagnostic Procedures: A Patient's Guide to Just What the Doctor Ordered, published in 1990.

A native of the Bronx, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University. After graduating from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, he established a family practice in Southwest Philadelphia. For three years, he made late-night house calls and delivered babies, said his daughter Sana. He decided to specialize in order to spend time with his growing family, she said, and completed a residency in radiology at Art Centre Hospital in Detroit.

After his retirement, Dr. Shtasel earned a master's degree in bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, psychotherapist Thelma Flanders Shtasel, often gave lectures aboard cruise ships. His topics included genetics and patients' rights. He enjoyed crossword puzzles and bridge.

In addition to his wife of 58 years and daughter, Dr. Shtasel is survived by a daughter, Derri; a son, Laurence; and four grandchildren.

A funeral was held Nov. 16 at Joseph Levine & Son Memorial Chapel, Broomall. Burial was in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd.