The advent in the 1960s of the unique and exciting new form of energy called laser brought to medicine a marvelous tool that could accomplish new treatments of previously untreatable disorders as well as improved treat ment of mundane problems. This brilliant form of light energy is many times more powerful than the energy of the sun yet can be focused microscopically to spot sizes as small as 30 microns. Lasers can be directed into seemingly inaccessible areas by mirrors or fiberoptic cables or can be directly applied into sensitive areas such as the retina without damage to intervening structures. There has been a rapid proliferation in the use of lasers in all surgical specialties. Starting with bold ideas and experiments of "thought leaders" in each specialty, the application of lasers has evolved into commonplace usage. Beginning with the era when laser presentations and publications were an oddity, now nearly all specialty areas have whole sections of meetings or journals devoted exclusively to laser usage. Laser specialty societies within a specialty have developed and residency training programs routinely instruct trainees in laser techniques. Basic science and clinical experimentation has supported laser knowledge. Laser usage has also become international. Newer wavelengths and accessories have added to the armamentarium of laser usage. Despite the rapid growth in laser interest, no single source exists to instruct the many new laser users in proper, safe, and effective use of this new modality."

This must-have manual for surgical residents and vascular surgery trainees is copiously illustrated with more than 250 original line drawings. The author presents in a step-by-step fashion the techniques for all common vascular reconstructions, basics of exposure and access, as well as invaluable technical pearls and tips. The text provides the surgical trainee with the opportunity to review and practice the necessary vascular reconstructions before entering the operating room. The illustrations and clear instructions make this a manual that is referred to again and again throughout the surgical residency.

Gastrointestinal Surgery: Pathophysiology and Management is an invaluable reference text for surgeons and surgical trainees. Written entirely by Dr. Haile T. Debas, Dean of School of Medicine and former Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, at the University of California, San Francisco, this book provides the unified approach only found in a single-authored text. Based on the three pillars of understanding particular disease processes -- fundamental anatomy and physiology, pathopysiology, and clinical correlations -- surgical treatment of GI disease is presented as the means to correct abnormal physiology and restore health. Using an integrated approach of basic science and clinical practice, Dr. Debas allows the student of surgery to gain a solid understanding of disease processes that minimizes the need for rote memorization. Thirteen lavishly illustrated chapters cover the GI system as well as gastrointestinal peptides and peptide-secreting tumors, abdominal trauma, the abdominal wall, surgery for morbid obesity, the liver, spleen, retroperitoneum, and perioperative care. Dozens of summary tables throughout each chapter condense "essentials" for quick reference. Comprehensive discussions of clinical disorders review the surgical treatment options. With 400 illustrations and tables, including hundreds of anatomical line drawings commissioned exclusively for this textbook, Gastrointestinal Surgery provides a clinical and therapeutic approach to surgical diseases which will prove invaluable to the surgical trainee and the practitioner preparing for recertification.

Professor George Fegan is a world authority on the use of sclerotherapy for the treatment of varicose veins. His technique for injecting varicose veins is regarded by many to be the best method for achieving success with sclerotherapy. Professor Fegan first published his method in 1963. This book is an update to his previous work and describes his method step by step as well as relevant information on the anatomy, physiology, pathology and investigations of varicose veins. Sclerotherapy is finding its place as an effective weapon in the phlebologist's armamentarium, and its indications are becoming clearer. All involved in the care of patients with venous disease will find this an invaluable read.

Alessandro Condivilla of Bologna first attempted a resection of the head of the pan creas in 1898, but several decades of further trial-and-error attempts ensued before the prototype procedure of pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) was established by Whipple in 1935. In the half-century following that landmark, refinements of surgical technique, including pancreatico-and bilio-entero anastomosis as well as develop ment of new technology to support perioperative management and patient care have contributed to the decrease in mortality and morbidity rates for obstructive jaundice and pancreatic fistula. The improvement in mortality and morbidity rates associated with PD has led to an increase in the number of patients undergoing the procedure and in the number of institutions performing it. Indications for PD have also been expanded. In the early years after PD was established as a viable procedure, periampullary carcinoma was the most common indication; now PD is indicated for a number of benign and malignant diseases. Some surgeons believe that PD is the procedure of choice for certain types of chronic pancreatitis, pancreatico-biliary maljunction, and pancreatic and duodenal trauma. Other surgeons have reported the necessity of PD for lymph node dissection of gallbladder carcinoma. Consequently, the basic procedure has been greatly modi fied to accommodate the specific conditions of each disease. For patients with malig nancy, extended procedures have been developed to improve the curative resection rate and ensure complete lymph node dissection."

Both the investigation and treatment of cancer of the oesophagus are comprehensively presented in Management of Oesophageal Carcinoma. This information is otherwise not easily available in one source. The chapters are written by experts in the fields of anatomy, cancer research, radiology, and thoracic surgery and give up-to-date information on this difficult disease. All aspects are covered: anatomy, epidemiology, endoscopic and radiologic diagnosis, pathology, surgical treatment, radiotherapy, palliative and laser therapy, and the management of complications. Surgeons will be especially interested in the discussion of the recent technique of oesophagectomy without formal thoracotomy, and the use of stapling devices. This complete reference is ideal for all clinics and medical centers specializing in thoracic surgery or treatment of oesophageal carcinoma.

Endoscopic surgery in children is a rapidly expanding field in pediatric surgery. This book represents the state of the art, and explains why endoscopic surgery in children is so important. General aspects are discussed and detailed information is provided on many specific operations both in the chest as well as in the abdomen, including endoscopic treatment of throracic scoliosis, of urogenital conditions, and of neurosurgical conditions. Application of endoscopic techniques in oncology is discussed as well. A special chapter deals with complications.

Bone Metastases brings together the many recent developments that are gradually improving the prospects for patients with secondary involvement of the skeleton in a primary cancer elsewhere. The morbidity from bone metastases is extensive, and the palliative and supportive treatment that sufferers require for many months or even years constitutes a major health problem. A multidisciplinary approach is essential since a variety of specialists are involved: radiation and medical oncologists, general and orthopaedic surgeons, general physicians, radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians, symptom control and terminal care specialists. The book's editors, themselves authorities in the fields of oncology and bone disease respectively, have brought together experts from all these disciplines to provide comprehensive coverage of metastatic bone disease. They cover the biology and pathophysiology, hypercalcaemia, imaging, assessment of response to treatment, types of treatment (systemic, radiotherapy, surgery), and symptomatic and supportive care. Particularly new approaches included are magnetic resonance imaging, the assessment of skeletal response and isotope therapy.

In an attempt to attain the best possible delimitation of all the problems posed today by benign diseases of the esophagus, 181 authors each agreed to answer one or more of 210 questions that had been drawn up on the subject. These questions, each one deliberately limited and difficult, mostly concerned reflux esophagitis: its natural history, the means of its diagnosis, all existing treatments, and its eventual degeneration. The authors approached are today's most reputed specialists in the fields of epidemiology, gastroenterology, endoscopy, pathology, and surgery of esophageal diseases. The authors were all assigned one or more questions in their own field, none of which was simple: all did their best to synthesize in their replies their own experience on the precise point under review and included all the most useful bibliographical references on the topic. The book is thus the result of an original, individual approach to try to pinpoint the heart of a problem. The 210 answers succeed one another in logical progression according to the different diagnostic and therapeutic stages, specifying, at each step, the degree of precision sought. Consequently, the reader has at his disposal an exceptional synthesis of facts and concepts. Opening the book at random he will find at once the detail he is looking for, the professional opinion he is lacking, or the development of a question he had perhaps not yet asked himself.

Recent developments have favourably and extensively altered general surgical practice. As editor I have happily been able to select certain topics of new and major interest for detailed discussion and have thus had the opportunity to collect these authoritative submissions within the covers of one text. The range of topics is broad. Endoscopy has changed the nature of both investigation and treatment of much gastrointestinal disease and the therapeutic uses of endoscopy continue to grow. That sophisticated new tool of the radiologist, computerized axial tomography, has revolu tionized the diagnosis of intra-abdominal disease, very often permitting precise localization of hitherto occult disease, and, as might be expect ed, it has become helpful in determining both the nature and extent of surgical and other therapy. Although an invasive procedure, intra abdominal angiography has similarly come of age as a means of localiz ing gastrointestinal haemorrhage and controlling such bleeding. Unfortunately, intra-abdominal malignancy continues to be a major source of concern to the general surgeon and the discovery that such tumours are associated with unusual markers, termed oncofetal anti gens, suggests that early diagnosis and early detection of recurrence may yet be feasible. Adjuvant or post-surgical therapy is an exciting de velopment in terms of prolonging the disease-free interval in women with breast cancer limited to regional lymph nodes. Equally efficacious therapy is not yet available for patients with gastrointestinal cancer, highlighting the need for more specific drugs and drug combinations."

Although the number of published papers on traumatic hip disloca tion in childhood is large, our actual current knowledge on this inju ry in this age group is still full of obscure points and unsolved prob lems. Luxation of the hip of traumatic origin in children is infrequent, and the small number of cases reported by authors and institutions, as well as the usually short follow-up in many cases, are responsible for the many doubts and questions, especially related to complications and outcome following the injury. Consequently the treatment, especially the postreduction management, has not been adequately defined. Dr. Antonio Barquet has made the great effort to analyze the ex perience gained from 38 cases in Uruguay and to review more than 500 references related to the subject, covering more than 1400 cases. He began to study this topic in 1976. It was the subject of his postgraduate monograph in 1979, which was followed by a statisti cal analysis of the major complication, i. e., avascular necrosis of the proximal femoral extremity, which was presented as his doctoral thesis in 1981. In addition, he has published numerous papers deal ing with several aspects of traumatic hip dislocation in children."

Material for this book was gathered in the early 1980's in Manchester, where a higher incidence than usual of complications in the gastro-intestinal and urinary tract was observed. Part I describes the principles and methods of radiotherapy for pelvic tumours, pathological features and radiological analysis of bowel and urinary tract changes. Parts II and III are devoted to clinical assessment and management, where the need for a multi-diciplinary approach is emphasized.

In 1988 we presented our Guide to Bone Marrow Transplan tation. The reception has been enthusiastic and we have re ceived a flood of critical comments, suggestions and requests to provide an update in due time. Although several books on marrow transplantation have recently been published, their scope and goal have generally been different. Hence, we have decided to prepare a second edition of the Guide. Our aim was to maintain a short, concise text which never theless would incorporate changes that have occurred over the past four or five years. We have streamlined the description of pretransplant considerations, by condensing two sections into one (Treatment Planning and Timing of Transplantation). This also facilitated the review of controversial indications for marrow transplantation, for example in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia in first chemotherapy-induced remission. We have updated the chapter dealing with conditioning regimens and have expanded the section on donor selection, in particular in regard to the current level of tissue typing and the identification of unrelated volunteer donors. In the chapter on collection, processing, and infusion of marrow, we have incorporated recent developments, for example, the use of closed systems for marrow harvesting and processing and the use of solid phase separation of stem cells."

This volume provides in a conveniently accessible package a comprehensive collection of accurate and timely information on the management of patients with diarrhea, both in pediatric age and in the adult. As medical knowledge has recently expanded in this area, this volume is full of new practical, clinically useful material for the busy clinician. Illustrations are emphasized to permit rapid acquisition of practical information that is not readily available in the major texts. Each chapter is concise, concentrating on "clinical pearls," and new advances in diagnostic and therapeutic technology. Each chapter discusses the relative costs of diagnostic and therapeutic options to permit financial considerations to be taken into account in the decision making process. Additional unique features include, summaries of key points, recommendations, and indications for requesting GI subspecialty consultation. Providing a comprehensive but practical overview of the issues surrounding the diarrheal diseases, this volume will prove of great value and utility to gastroenterologists, surgeons, internists, primary care physicians.

This book reviews the most recent developments in the patho- physiology and therapy of ventilatory failure. It contains contributions by twenty-five internationally recognized aut- horities on respiratory muscle function and investigators actively contributing to our knowledge of the cause, diagno- sis and therapy of ventilatory failure. Of particular inter- estare the descriptions of new modalities of partial and complete ventilatory assistance as well as new knowledge re- garding ventilatory control and fatigue during stressful breathing. The reader will find here a state-of-the-art re- view of the latest research and practical applications in this most critical area of intensive care medicine.

Besides the mortality rate the value of an operative procedure is measured against the incidence and the degree of undesirable postoperative sequelae. In the surgical treatment of gastroduo denal ulcerations vagotomy is now competing with the success fully established resection therapy. Since this latter method has been further developed during the last years and late results are rare, a comparison between both types of operation is difficult. Meritoriously, the authors have tried to perform a comprehensive analysis. Due to the complexity of postoperative syndromes the diagnostic procedure and treatment can be successful only after integrated cooperation by gastroenterologists and surgeons. This is documented by the current monograph which originates from a cooperation of several years and an active exchange of scientific will facilitate the indica and practical experience. The monograph tion for the primary surgical procedure by critical confrontation of the postoperative syndromes and provide advice in treating postoperative complaints. We hope that the monograph will have the expected impact, which means the spreading of the actual knowledge of post gastrectomy and postvagotomy syndromes.

The roentgenologic visualization of excretory ducts of a secreting organ is a longe-stablished diagnostic method in roentgenology. For a long time, radiologists have felt the need to establish a method for filling the excretory duct system of the pancreas with contrast material, in the way that intravenous retrograde urography is used to diagnose pathologic changes such as displacement of the renal collecting system or of the urethra. This need to establish a method became more urgent the more the pancreas resisted conventional roentgenologic clinical di- agnostic methods. From time to time in peroperative or postoperative cholangiography mostly incomplete reflux into the pancreatic duct in 10-14% was observed (Stiller, 1948; San Julian und Pascual y Megias, 1952; Wapshaw, 1955; Bergkvist und Seldinger, 1957). However, there was no possibility of obtaining reliable and complete opacification of the pancreatic duct. Peroperative Pancreaticography It was in 1951 when Leger and Arway achieved this goal, though only by surgery. It should be mentioned that, when performing their first peroperative examination, these French surgeons already had the impression, that cannulation of the pancreatic duct was easier than cannulation of the common bile duct. This observation has been con- firmed by hundreds of examinations after ERPC had been established for several years; however, up till now this phenomenon has not been sufficiently explained. During the following years, peroperative pancreaticography develop- ed into a routine examination, above all by Doubilet et al.

Primary and metastasizing malignant carcinoma of the liv er represent a challenge to both the diagnostician and the therapist. For this reason, it appears a worthwhile task to review the current status of knowledge about the treatment of primary and metastasizing tumors of the liver. The ques tion is whether modem diagnostic methods and new thera peutic concepts can help to improve the prospects of treat ment. Of particular interest is the role played by therapeu tic procedures directly involving the liver. Thus, it is equally important to discuss the pathophysiological and pharmacological bases for a modem therapy concept as it is to consider diagnostic issues and possible definitions of stages of progression. Therapeutic concepts comprise sys temic therapy and organ-related therapeutic methods, in cluding surgical resection, changes in the blood supply, re gional selective chemotherapy, and other localized or regional, highly specialized forms of therapy. This survey of the various possibilities in the field is meant too to stimulate further scientific research, given that methods of treatment are as yet by no means stan dardized, but are still in the stage of clinical research, where experimental models can find an application. The only well-established operative procedure is surgery on the isolated liver tumor. In this area, specialized techniques and various intraoperative procedures are discussed. There is a wealth of information available on all the top ics covered."

Over the past ten years, carbon dioxide laser surgery has made impressive strides and is now applied to every field of surgery without exception. It is the intention of this book to record the work done in this field in the Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Beilinson Medical Center and Tel Aviv University Medical School, Israel, as well as that performed in association with other depart ments. In this context, one feels that it is incumbent upon one to acknowledge the cooperation of the medical and paramedical staff of the Department of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery of the Beilinson Medical Center, as well as that of Prof. Yehuda Shindel and Dr. Daniel Katenelson of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, Dr. Y ona Tadir of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Dr. Itamar Kott of the Department of General Surgery. I should like to make special mention of Dr. Ralph Ger of New York, who worked with me on the original clinical trials, and the engineer Uzi Sharon, who developed the Sharplan Laser with me. The progress of Laser Surgery is well demonstrated by the participation in the four meetings of the International Society for Laser Surgery, the first of which was held in Tel Aviv in 1975 with an attendance of 65 and the last in Tokyo in 1981 with an attendance of 1200.

Controlled and predictable interference with hormonal feed- back mechanisms has become a major direction of preclinical and clinical research. There is a steadily increasing number of hormonal pep tides detected and characterized that are re- sponsible for endo-, para-, and autocrine cellular actions. Naturally, these peptides have been studied with regard to their cell growth stimulatory action and, in parallel, the re- spective antagonists are being investigated in terms of their antiproliferative (antineoplastic) function. Among the numerous pep tides of interest in this respect, somatostatin (somatotropin release inhibitory factor) and bombesin antagonizing factors have been the topic of inten- sive research during recent years. No presentation of the role of pep tides in oncology would be complete without a compre- hensive treatise of their physiological, preclinical and clinical functions in the context of their antineoplastic mechanism of action. Somatostatin and its various short- and long-acting analogs have the unique feature of suppressing and inhibiting a wide range of cellular processes including cell proliferation. Recep- tors for these peptides, which belong in a wider sense to the family of neuropeptides or neurotransmitters, are widely dis- tributed, a feature which is not in keeping with the general view of a growth hormone regulatory system. Thus, these substances are found in the gut in a variety of endocrine and exocrine glands including breast, pancreas, and prostate, and in the nervous system.

One out of every two men over eigthy suffers from carcinoma of the prostate.It is discovered incidentally in many patients with an alleged benign prostatic hyperplasia. In treating patients, the authors make clear that primary radical prostatectomy is preferred over transurethral resection due to the lower complication rate.

Technical improvements over the past twenty years have made endos copy the procedure of choice for examination of the hollow organs of the genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts. The development of electro surgical techniques, laser technology, injection therapy, and a wide variety of other modalities now allow the endoscopist to treat many problems that in the past required open surgery. The simultaneous development of transcutaneous abdominal sonography has had an equally dramatic impact on the practice of gastrointestinal and geni tourinary surgery. The marriage of these proven technologies, known as endoscopic sonography, provides an exciting new modality that promises to further revolutionize the diagnosis and management of many intraabdominal diseases. Endoscopic sonography opens new frontiers by overcoming the primary limitations of its parent technologies. Fiberoptic endoscopy is limited by the inability to see beyond the luminal surface, this is particularly important when considering neoplastic disease because depth of wall invasion is a key factor in determining treatment. The limiting factor in transcutaneous sonography is the distance between the transducer and the target organ. With endoscopic sonography, the transducer is placed in close proximity to the target organ. This allows the use of high frequency waves (greater than 5 MHz), which provide better tissue resolution and eliminates the image distortion caused by overlying structures.

Rapid developments in this successful diagnostic and operative technique have called for a new edition of "Arthroscopy of the Knee Joint." This second edition has been completely revised and retains very little material from the first edition. The diagnostic section has been considerably expanded and elucidated and the operative section adapted to modern technology. The first part of the book presents the external conditions and pre-requisites for diagnostic arthroscopy. The endoscopic anatomy and pathology of the knee joint are covered in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on practical hints for accurate arthroscopic procedures. The second part then discusses operative techniques. The reader discovers step-by-step how and which pathological findings should, in the author's opinion, be treated. Here, too, the problems and possible complications of arthroscopic surgery relevant to the individual techniques are dealt with in detail. Equipped with this book, the reader will be thoroughly informed on all current arthroscopic methods and possibilities.

Inflammatory dieseases of the pancreas occur with increasing incidence in western industrialized countries. This volume deals with all aspects of CHRONIC PANCREATITIS including epidemiology, etiology, morphology and pathophysiology, dia- gnostic imaging as well as conservative and operative treat- ment. Very recent data based on experimental and clinical research projects are presented. The contributions have all been written by a team of internationally well recognized authorities in the various fields involved. Topics of parti- cular interest include feed-back regulation, new aspects of conservative and interventional treatment as well as modern surgical approaches including organ-preserving procedures.

For the first time four crucial aspects of gastrointestinal endoscopy are combined in a single text. Drugs for sedation and monitoring of the patient are addressed with particular reference to safety issues and comfort and acceptability for the patient. Resource management and health economic techniques are applied to endoscopy to determine quality and outcome. Problems of negligence and informed consent form the basis of a medico-legal examination of endoscopic practices.