This 6th volume of OESO has the advantage to address a topic which is at the forefront of concern for all those involved with disease of the upper digestive tract: an entity inserted in the epidemiological sequence of GERD, a benign affection among the most widespread in the world, Barrett's esophagus, has become today a problem of Public Health. Its recognised propensity to degenerate has, in fact, made it one of the benign lesions of the upper digestive tract which legitimately arouses the convergent interest of clinicians, as well as those devoted to fundamental research. Large scale epidemiological studies, the development of even sharper means for early detection of the precursory signs of its degeneration, the extreme diversity of the treatments available today, all lend new perspectives to the different centres of interest of this book.

Knowledge concerning oesophageal pathophysiology has until recently lagged far behind that of the pathophysiology of other portions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for reasons that still remain unclear. Yet, it is the fact that, at least until the last few decades, interest in the oesophagus was primarily based on pathologic anatomy. Even today, much remains to be learnt on the pathophysiology of oesophageal disease. The recent development of methods of studying both morphology and function of the oesophagus has resulted in a better understanding of normal and abnormal oesophageal patterns with a corresponding improvement in treatment, which is now physiologically, rather than anatomically based. As customary, the World OESO Congresses are planned to provide each time a thorough analysis of a specific topic in oesophageal disease. The 8th World Congress of OESO was devoted to the Foregut: Function and Dysfunction to emphasise the complex interaction between the oesophagus and the other portions of the upper GI tract, either in maintaining physiological function or in triggering oesophageal disease. The choice is a timely one because recent investigations have allowed new insights into the pathophysiology of these complex interactions to be gained. It is indeed becoming clear that there are intriguing pathophysiological abnormalities that account for upper GI symptoms and that more targeted therapy is needed to address the unmet clinical needs. Within this framework, specific sessions were devoted to disorders of secretion, of motility as well as of nutrition with a special emphasis on recent advances. Unlike some of the other publications, this volume does not merely represent the proceedings of an International Congress. With its now established and successful format, it collects the answers to 130 key questions, offered by 110 basic scientists and clinicians the world over, all of whom have personally contributed to the topic, in order to provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead. The easy-to-read format will allow the practising and busy physician to keep up efficiently with advances in diagnosis and therapy in this rapidly evolving field.

This book is the 5th in an exceptional series which, in a most uncommon way, constitutes an original encyclopaedia of esophagology. It is devoted to a single subject: the esophagogastric junction. These few centimetres are dissected into 420 questions which call on all the disciplines involved by its physiology, its diverse diseases and their various treatments. 450 answers, provided by the most renowned experts, each one shedding light on one small, but essential, fragment of the subject. The book offers: A succesion of syntheses; A profusion of targeted bibliographical references; An access, now made easy, to highly elaborated knowledge; A precious volume for researchers, specialists, departments heads, general practitioners and students.

The World OESO Congresses are planned to provide each time a thorough analysis of a single topic on oesophageal disease. The Seventh World Congress of EOSO was entirely devoted to Duodenogastroesophageal reflux. Clarification of the role of duodenogastroesophageal reflux in the context of oesophageal disease has been hampered for a long time by inadequate methods to detect it. The recent availability of methodology to detect either biliary or non acidic reflux has allowed to gain new insights into pathophysiology and to develop new therapeutic approaches. This book does not merely represent the proceedings of an International Congress: it collects the answers to 125 key questions, offered by basic scientists and clinicians from all over the world, all of whom have personally contributed to the topic, in order to provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead.