Colour atlas and text of ocular plastic surgery

Colour atlas and text of ocular plastic surgery

British Journal ofJ%stic Surgery (1997), 50, 146-147 Q 1997 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons Book reviews Jackson. Although much of the ma...

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British Journal ofJ%stic Surgery (1997), 50, 146-147 Q 1997 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons

Book reviews Jackson. Although much of the material has been presented elsewhere, this remains an excellent exposition of the methods of approach for resecting tumours which were previously classified as unresectable. This leads nicely on to the chapter on neurofibromatosis and on vascular abnormalities of the orbit. Once again, the strength of the book is illustrated by the obvious experience of the authors in these areas. Chapter 12 is one which bears multiple reading. It deals with orbital tumours and their treatment. Being divided into two main sections, a section on minor reconstruction and one on major reconstruction, an unfortunate exclusion from the latter is the use of free tissue transfer. One is surprised at the lack of a radial forearm, rectus, or latissimus dorsi flap. Chapter 13 on palpebral degeneration sits a little uneasily between two major topics and may well have been better put nearer to chapters 7 and 8 which deal essentially with soft tissue surgery of the eyelids. However, in spite of its mal-location, it deals well with entropion and ectropion in a clear and succinct manner. Next is a SO-page chapter on “orbit0-palpebral trauma” which is at its strongest in dealing with bony trauma (Joe Gruss). It also has a superb exposition of the use of small flaps around the eyelids (J. van der Meulen). Unfortunately, the section on palpebral reconstruction of major defects is disappointing. Every plastic surgeon should be required to read chapter 15 which is on reconstruction of the socket. The postnucleation syndrome is explained and solutions are clearly outlined. Local, galeal and free flaps are all illustrated and the results speak for themselves. It is a great shame that the following and final chapter on lacrimal apparatus surgery is disappointing, thereby giving the impression of its being an afterthought. Such an excellent book should finish on an upswing and this chapter would have been better placed following chapter 10 which deals with orbital trauma. In conclusion, this is a beautifully presented textbook which would grace the coffee table and scientific bookshelf alike. It represents excellent value for both the hospital or university library and also for the library of the interested specialist and generalist. M. J. EARLEY

Colour Atlas and Text of Ocular Plastic Surgery. By J. C. van der Meulen and J. S. Gruss. Mosby-Wolfe Inc., London 1996. ISBN O-7234-1924-8. Pp. xviii+311, ill. Price &120.00. Reviewing a book which is so lavishly illustrated as this may seem at first to be an easy task. However, it is filled with such detail and so much of interest that it requires reading several times. It is aimed at both the generalist and the specialist but primarily the latter. It is not a textbook for examination study but is more a manual from which one can benefit from the extensive experience of the authors. It is superbly presented and all of the illustrations are of a high standard which is unusual for many modern clinical books. Unfortunately, on occasions the diagrams hint at far more than is explained in the text which can be irritating at times. This is very apparent in chapter one on anatomy where, for example, the topographical anatomy of Lockwood’s ligament remains a mystery to the reader. There are good references at the end of each chapter and surprisingly, for a multi-author book, there has obviously been a strong editorial hand which has helped an even style throughout. The topics are presented in 16 chapters, the first being a beautifully illustrated but disappointing chapter on orbital anatomy. There are certainly better texts in existence with respect to this topic. The second chapter deals with three-dimensional CT imaging and unfortunately begins with a section which fails to relate basic information to explanatory illustrations. However, the latter section of this chapter demonstrates the clinical application of three dimensional reconstruction in an excellent manner providing impressive examples of the usefulness of this type of imaging. There are references made to orbital anatomical cryosections which to this reader seemed unnecessary and unhelpful in this context. After the above introductory chapters, there follows a general chapter on orbital surgery. Several interesting flaps are presented as are the principles of orbital osteotomy. The placing of bony cuts is well explained and graphically shown. A minor quibble is that there should be a better exposition of temporalis and temporoparietal flaps. Canthal fixation is elegantly dealt with and shown in a concise and clear manner. The following chapter on orbital and eyelid expansion is a gem of a chapter answering most questions that would be asked by a specialist while at the same time providing the generalist with detailed education. Chapters five and six cover telorbitism, malorbitism and encephalocoeles. These are a little brief, considering that much of this work is at the core of an oculoplastic surgeon’s practice and many readers would wish to benefit from the extensive experience of the combined authors. Chapter seven deals with neuromuscular anomalies and is written by Serge Morax who is an ophthalmologist in Paris. In this, he covers ptosis, eyelid retraction and facial palsy problems, intermarrying a clear text with even clearer clinical photographs which take the reader step by step through various operations. There follows a section on palpebral abnormalities which covers telecanthus, blepharophimosis, coloboma, epiblepharon, ectropion and entropion. This chapter is a superb example of the advantage brought to the book by the wide experience of Jacques van der Meulen. The following chapter on orbital decompression unfortunately sits uneasily at the mid-point of the book. It outlines the two main methods of decompression-that of bony resection and that of removal of fat-but does not resolve the question of which method to use and adds little to the sum total of knowledge in this area. Chapter 10 deals with orbital tumours and is written by Ian

Photodamage. Edited by Barbara A. Gilchrest. Blackwell Science, USA 1995. ISBN O-86542-343-1. Pp. xiii+295, ill. Price E69.50. The study of cutaneous photobiology is declared to be a ‘thriving, zesty and exciting enterprise delivering new discoveries monthly’. Dr Gilchrest has edited a text written by experts in the field of photodamage. It is a well-written scientific collection of data and results. The main subjects discussed are the magnitude of the problem of photodamage, sunburn and suntan, the mechanisms of skin repair as well as protection of sun damage with sunscreens. Concluding chapters deal with the treatment of sun-damaged skin with retinoids, tretinoin and antioxidants. For plastic surgeons who would like to understand at a molecular level how sun damage can trigger malignancy and prematurely age the skin great detail is available. Evidence that the skin has a memory for sun damage is summarised and is interesting to read, particularly so because plastic surgeons deal with a lot of naevi which tend to be more common in sun-exposed (or damaged) parts. Prophylactic treatments in at-risk patients for cancer have been evaluated with the condition Xeroderma Pigmentosum as a model. It is probably important to read about the effects of retinoids in a book such as this since they are used as cosmetic wrinkle removers by some. I learned that retinoids may promote a biological repair process by dermal collagen deposition and that natural

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