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Ambulatory Hysteroscopy: Diagnosis and Treatment
Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (2005) 12, 188
Ambulatory Hysteroscopy: Diagnosis and Treatment Edited by Bruno J. van Herendael, Rafael Valle, and Stefano Bettocchi, Bladon Medical Publishing, Oxfordshire, England, 2004, 241 pages, $120.00 This is a brand-new text, devoted exclusively to ambulatory, office, or outpatient hysteroscopy. The authors are internationally renowned practitioners of office hysteroscopy, and the book is intentionally international in scope, inviting many of the world’s experts from Europe, the United States, South America, Australia, South Africa, and Japan to contribute experiences and insights. The material quality (i.e., paper, color, graphics) is outstanding. The color is particularly brilliant and vibrant throughout the book, including the histologic representations of pathologic states. In addition, the numerous hysteroscopic photographs rival even the best of hysteroscopic atlases, and they assist the reader in understanding the advantages and successes of office procedures. The content of the text is directed at the contemporary role of hysteroscopy in the evaluation and management of gynecologic problems facing the practitioner, and there is a very generous and correct acknowledgment of the adjunctive roles of ultrasound and saline-infused sonohysterography as essential and concomitant procedures for the diagnosis of uterine abnormalities, rather than exclusive alternatives as described by others. Although avoiding some of the investigational hysteroscopic procedures being evaluated but not yet approved for widespread usage, the book
1553-4650/$ -see front matter © 2005 AAGL. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2005.01.005
describes currently approved hysteroscopic sterilization technology that can be performed as ambulatory or office procedures. Included is a very appropriate emphasis on the role of nurses in achieving successful outpatient procedures and in the overall set-up of an outpatient facility. If there is any deficiency in the book, it is the absence of an adequate description of hysteroscopic endometrial ablation procedures that are being performed in many places as office or ambulatory procedures under minimal systemic medication and with local anesthesia. In addition, there is a limited discussion of possible complications of both diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy, essential topics for the discussion of hysteroscopic problems and how to avoid them. Finally, the book has an eminently readable and enjoyable style, with practical discussions of costs of and reimbursement for procedures, expected time allotment for procedure, and tricks of and need for appropriate documentation. The color-highlighted “take-home message” box at the beginning of each chapter is a very pleasant and useful segment for all students of office gynecology. In summary, this is a very beautiful and readable text on ambulatory hysteroscopy, and it belongs in the library of anyone interested in using hysteroscopy in the complete evaluation of uterine problems. Philip G. Brooks, MD Los Angeles, California
Ambulatory Hysteroscopy: Diagnosis and Treatment Edited by Bruno J. van Herendael, Rafael Valle, and Stefano Bettocchi, Bladon Medical Publishing, Oxfordshire, England, 2004, 241 pages, $120.00 This is a brand-new text, devoted exclusively to ambulatory, office, or outpatient hysteroscopy. The authors are internationally renowned practitioners of office hysteroscopy, and the book is intentionally international in scope, inviting many of the world’s experts from Europe, the United States, South America, Australia, South Africa, and Japan to contribute experiences and insights. The material quality (i.e., paper, color, graphics) is outstanding. The color is particularly brilliant and vibrant throughout the book, including the histologic representations of pathologic states. In addition, the numerous hysteroscopic photographs rival even the best of hysteroscopic atlases, and they assist the reader in understanding the advantages and successes of office procedures. The content of the text is directed at the contemporary role of hysteroscopy in the evaluation and management of gynecologic problems facing the practitioner, and there is a very generous and correct acknowledgment of the adjunctive roles of ultrasound and saline-infused sonohysterography as essential and concomitant procedures for the diagnosis of uterine abnormalities, rather than exclusive alternatives as described by others. Although avoiding some of the investigational hysteroscopic procedures being evaluated but not yet approved for widespread usage, the book
1553-4650/$ -see front matter © 2005 AAGL. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2005.01.005
describes currently approved hysteroscopic sterilization technology that can be performed as ambulatory or office procedures. Included is a very appropriate emphasis on the role of nurses in achieving successful outpatient procedures and in the overall set-up of an outpatient facility. If there is any deficiency in the book, it is the absence of an adequate description of hysteroscopic endometrial ablation procedures that are being performed in many places as office or ambulatory procedures under minimal systemic medication and with local anesthesia. In addition, there is a limited discussion of possible complications of both diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy, essential topics for the discussion of hysteroscopic problems and how to avoid them. Finally, the book has an eminently readable and enjoyable style, with practical discussions of costs of and reimbursement for procedures, expected time allotment for procedure, and tricks of and need for appropriate documentation. The color-highlighted “take-home message” box at the beginning of each chapter is a very pleasant and useful segment for all students of office gynecology. In summary, this is a very beautiful and readable text on ambulatory hysteroscopy, and it belongs in the library of anyone interested in using hysteroscopy in the complete evaluation of uterine problems. Philip G. Brooks, MD Los Angeles, California