Helieobaeter pylori has recently been recognized as a new genus according to specific taxonomic criteria; the "popular" name Campylobaeter pylori has been corrected by scientific progress. Following the discovery of the spiral microorgan ism in gastric mucosa by Marshall and Warren in 1982, it took only a few years for H. pylori to become established as a factor in the pathogenesis of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Interest in different aspects of H. pylori has grown continuously and has attracted scientists from various medical and biological disciplines such as gastroenterology, microbiology, pathology, immunology, and pharmacology. Indeed H. pylori provides an excellent model for interdisciplinary interaction and cooperation. To promote this concept of interdisciplinary research and exchange of knowledge, a European Campylobacter (Helicobacter) Pylori Study Group was founded in 1987 in Copenhagen. The second meeting of this expanding group was held from October 12-14,1989 in Ulm, FRG. The fact that more than 500 participants attended the conference and that 187 original contributions from all five continents were presented clearly confirmed that H. pylori has "scientifically infected" the whole world. Our understanding of the microbiological and pathogenetic aspects of H. pylori is continuously being challenged as new results follow swifthy from different research areas. This book includes an update and progress report on the various aspects of H. pylori presented and discussed in special workshops held during the meeting in Ulm.

The development and improvement of new technologies have made pancreatic disease more accessible to diagnosis in the last decade. The cooperation and coordination of experts in the fields of gastro enterology, radiology, biochemistry, immunology, and pathology are necessary if the methods are to be made available and the progress made to be fully exploited. Each of the new methods requires special training, and extensive experience is needed to guarantee high standards in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease. New methods have to be tested carefully against established diagnostic procedures, though at the same time we must be ready to adopt a new approach to diagnosis. The aim of this book is to update the material already published and to focus on the various imaging methods and functional tests currently available, the features specific for each, and their integrative potential in the detection of pancreatic disease. The various pathologic findings are analyzed with reference to the clinical stages of pancreatic disease. As an introduction to the morphological and functional features of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer revealed by the different imaging methods and functional tests, basic knowledge of the patho-physiological and pathomorphological events is provided by research workers. This knowledge is essential for the understanding and interpretation of the diagnostic findings recorded in pancreatic diseases.

The nonsurgical management of gallstone disease has drawn widespread clinical interest during the last decade as ultrasound surveys have indicated that cholelithiasis is predom inantly an asymptomatic condition and much more prevalent than previously thought. This book presents an overview of the pathophysiologic and pathobiochemical principles of gallstone formation and the consequences for clinical therapeutic regimens. New information concerning the balance between vesicular and micellar transport of choles terol, early cholesterol nucleation, and the influence of inhibiting and promoting com pounds for cholesterol nucleation as well as information concerning the effects of changes in gallbladder motility and gallbladder mucosal function is reviewed. In order to make further progress in developing treatments which facilitate gallstone dissolution and in preventing disease, it is necessary to integrate this new data into our thinking. Methods of treatment such as systemic litholysis of cholesterol gallbladder stones with bile acid preparations and mechanical fragmentation of stones either by extracorpo ral shock waves or intracorporal laser systems are carefully described and separate discussions of direct contact litholysis of cholesterol stones with ether preparations and the local litholytic treatment of calcified pigment stones are included. New therapeutic applications of HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also critically reviewed. Finally, for the interested reader an evaluation of prophylactic treatment against stone recurrence after successful conservative treatment and an appraisal of alternative management strategies supplement the information on the conservative treatment of gallstones.