Recent years have seen important advances in the technology and techniques available to surgeons performing gynecologic surgery as well as reconstructive of clinical pelvic procedures. These developments took place in a wide variety settings from regional teaching centers to private clinical facilities. In 1996, the leading investigators from around the world gathered to discuss the present status of pelvic surgery and adhesion prevention with a look toward the future of patient care. This volume contains the proceedings of that meeting: the Third Interna tional Congress on Pelvic Surgery and Adhesion Prevention. Each chapter in cludes the material presented at the congress as well as a timely update of the authors' latest research and clinical thinking. Presentation integrating basic and clinical science provide the basis for con sidering peritoneal repair after surgery including the interaction of growth factors and other biochemical messengers. Research has increased the understanding of mesothelial reepithelialization and has led to new surgical technologies to reduce adhesion fonnation. A state-of-the-art review of emerging surgical adjuvants for adhesion prevention is provided, including discussion of barriers, gels, and poly mers as well as "designer" drugs effective at modifying the peritoneal response to injury. Assessment of clinical outcome in a wide variety of gynecologic surgical procedures brings into focus the benefits available as a result of these new tech nologies."

ENTERING ON A CREATIVE AND ENTERPRISING PROJECT, DRS. DIZEREGA and Rodgers have taken an innovative look at the peritoneum. They have provided an interesting, informative, and stimulating text about an organ that is rarely considered independently-usually being thought of only as a part of other organs or organ systems. The peritoneum is an active membrane that serves as both a secretory organ and a structure that modulates diffusion and osmosis. Both of these important functions are described in great detail. The text is divided in classic fashion. The authors first examine the peritoneal anatomy from both macro and cellular viewpoints, during which exploration it becomes clear that what appears simply to be a lacy covering over abdominal organs actually is a complex structure. Fur thermore, during the discussion on its embryologic development the au thors make comprehensible the complexity confronting the student of the peritoneum. The authors then proceed to the practicalities associated with this im portant organ. To surgeons, for example, the key to the peritoneum is understanding the organ's repair mechanism, as it is adhesions formed on the peritoneal surfaces that interfere with the surgeon's hope of success."

Peritoneal Surgery addresses the response of the peritoneum to injury and the prevention of post-surgical adhesions resulting from general and gynecologic surgery. Adhesions, or scar tissue binding two normally separate surfaces, form when the peritoneum, the membrane covering the abdominal wall and protecting the inner organs, is damaged during surgery, inflammation, or injury. Negative complications from adhesions include pelvic pain, infertility, intestinal obstruction, multiple surgical complications resulting from surgery to remove or pull them apart, and therefore a greater surgical workload and economic burden to the healthcare system. In this book, experts in the field address peritoneal repair, the role of surgical technique to prevent adhesions, adhesion formation, complications of adhesions, and developing technology in the prevention of adhesions.

Recent years have seen important advances in the technology and techniques available to surgeons performing gynecologic surgery as well as reconstructive of clinical pelvic procedures. These developments took place in a wide variety settings from regional teaching centers to private clinical facilities. In 1996, the leading investigators from around the world gathered to discuss the present status of pelvic surgery and adhesion prevention with a look toward the future of patient care. This volume contains the proceedings of that meeting: the Third Interna tional Congress on Pelvic Surgery and Adhesion Prevention. Each chapter in cludes the material presented at the congress as well as a timely update of the authors' latest research and clinical thinking. Presentation integrating basic and clinical science provide the basis for con sidering peritoneal repair after surgery including the interaction of growth factors and other biochemical messengers. Research has increased the understanding of mesothelial reepithelialization and has led to new surgical technologies to reduce adhesion fonnation. A state-of-the-art review of emerging surgical adjuvants for adhesion prevention is provided, including discussion of barriers, gels, and poly mers as well as "designer" drugs effective at modifying the peritoneal response to injury. Assessment of clinical outcome in a wide variety of gynecologic surgical procedures brings into focus the benefits available as a result of these new tech nologies."