THORACIC SURGERY, INSTALLMENT VII

TWO-DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY HEART DISEASE. By NORMAN H. SILVERMAN New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1982, 278

tbe KsheII REFERENCE VALUES STATE OF THE ART by H.

E. SOLBERG.

IN LABORATORY By R. GRASBECK New

York:

John

and

Wiley

MEDICINE: T ALSTBOM, Sons,

and

This is one of the first texts exclusively devoted to two-dimensional echocardiography in congenital heart disease. This text is reasonably well designed and has an excellent demonstration of a wide variety of congenital cardiac defects. An introductory chapter provided by Thomas B. Risser discusses the physics and instrumentation of two-dimensional echocardiographic systems. The text in all includes 16 chapters. It is organized with a review of the normal two-dimensional echocardiographic examinations and subsequently divided into acyanotic and cyanotic lesions. The authors have been reasonably thorough in their inclusion of a wide variety of congenital cardiac defects. The figures provided are quite excellent and very seldom require supplemental diagramatic representations to emphasize the anatomic

THE CURRENT discussions edited 1982,

pp.

413

$44.95.

This book represents the proceedings and discussions ofa workshop held Hanaholmen in Espoo near Helsinki, Finland, 4-6 May 1980. The purpose the workshop was to produce this book. The booWs firmat is organized around chapters contributed by experts

in of in

the

field, each of whom was a participant to the workshop. The book acquaints the reader with the complexity associated with establishing reference values and presents guidelines on not only how to use reference values, but also how to produce them. The book is divided into five major sections. Section 1 deals with the individual, and in six related chapters introduces such concepts as health and the degree ofhealth. It points out that there is no sharp boundary between health and disease. Once such a continuum of health to non-health to disease is established, difficulties with establishing the normality of an organism become understood. The strategy that should be fbllowed in the production of reference values from healthy subjects is explained. It emphasizes the need fir a clear and exhaustive statement defining the criteria to be fbllowed in the subsequent selection and classification of individuals . It concludes with a chapter on the use of the subject as his own refisrence range. Section 2 contains chapters dealing with the standardization of subject preparation, sample collection and the analytical process, including a chapter dealing with pre-analytical sources of variation. Section 3 is the major portion of the book in that it deals with the actual reftrrence value data. It includes chapters on evaluating the prognostic usefulness of reference values, the transferability of reference data collected from one population to another, and the need to verify that these values are applicable chemistry reference

to the new population. The concept of decision levels in clinical is introduced and the distinction between decision levels and values is developed. All in all, 13 chapters are in this section,

including a discussion on some of the special problems physiologic and neurophysiologic reference values. The two remaining sections include a general discussion a section devoted to tables of reference value. In general, the book is well written and well edited to be a uniksrm and consistent entity, by virtue ofthe are all experts, there is a variance in the views which is interesting, stimulating and well worth reading. I addition to the clinical scientists’ library.

associated of the

with

workshop

and

and although it attempts fact that the participants are presented. The book recommend it as a useful

Harvey

MODERN TECHNICS IN SURGERY, CARDIAC/THORACIC INSTALLMENT VII. Edited by LAWRENCE W. COHN. Future Publishing, 1982, 81 pp. $32.50. This

installment

speaks

plainly

and

vigorously

about

George, Ph.D. Burlington, MA

Mt.

SURGERY, Kisco, N.Y.,

four entities.

The

first,

by Stanley Crawford et al, elucidates some valuable lessons after resecting 112 descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. How to seek out and repair all such beasts, and ensure a 55% five year survival, are well explained. Noel Mills, in his essay on internal mammary bypass grafts, proves that he lives in a tidier and more fastidious intellectual universe than most surgeons. His concerns become ours as he describes details like the proper crest factor current of the electrocautery when dissecting, or the seven causes of a postoperative string sign (distal narrowing and low flow ofthe mammary graft at angiography.) He also proposes a novel solution to the problem of achieving complete revascularization when the ascending aorta is extensively diseased. Killman and McKneally’s chapters on left and right lower lobectomies are equally instructive. New developments in anesthetic techniques, eg, ventilation with high frequency jets or via improved double lumen endotracheal tubes, are included here. Installment VII thus continues quality set when the first volume

to identify and burst so brilliantly Alan

18

uphold the standard of out of the starting gate. T Marty. M.D. Evansville,

,

FC.C.P Indiana

IN CONGENITAL and A. REBECCA SNIDER. pp. $40.00

features. This

text

represents

an excellent

introductory

and

reference

text

for two.

dimensional echocardiography in congenital heart disease. The authors have provided excellent reproductions of the two-dimensional echocardiographic abnormalities. They do not, however, provide a thorough review of the literature or appropriate referencing ofmany ofthe features described so that the reader is required to provide review of particular lesions. This text could be easily radiologist as an introduction

his own

literature

fur a more

review

recommended fur any pediatric for echocardiography ofcongenital

cardiologist or heart disease.

DonaldJ. THORACIC WILLIAM

AND CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY, W. L. GLENN, ARTHUR E. BAUE, ALEXANDER

L. HAMMOND 1982, 1667 pp, In this

and HILLEL $145.00

impressive

LAKS.

compendium

Norwalk,

there

indepth

Hagler, Rochester,

M.D. MN

4th Ed. Edited by S. GEHA, GRAEME

Ct: Appleton-Century-Crofts,

are over

100 chapters

by more

than

150 writers. Most ofthe contributors are familiar names in their fields. Thus, the young reader should not be dismayed at its high cost in view of its encyclopedic coverage. Reviewing this book responsibly is not easy. One might readily be overawed by the number and the caliber of the writers; or unduly critical of inevitable duplications, divergent philosophy, or perceived overemphasis. The 4th edition has raised to one-half of its 1,500 pages the space given to acquired surgical diseases of the heart, while ‘general” thoracic surgery is reduced to a third. But thoracic and cardiovascular surgery of all kinds have Ibund a meeting ground in today’s recovery rooms and special care units, as this book makes clear. Indeed, they are inseparable at a certain point in care. To single out chapters for special praise in a short review would be unfair, indeed impossible. There are so many sterling sections and chapters. To assign “mauvais points” to others is often simpler. This book has few. Despite its weight it is a remarkably concise account ofcurrent thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. It will require continuous updating in a changing field, but it is the best state-of-the-art book available today fur the young surgeon with limited time and funds.

David

P Boyd,

M.D.,

Burlington, TWO-DIMENSIONAL Baltimore: Williams

ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY. & Wilkins, 1982, 349

pp

By $38.00

j x

N.

FCCP MA ScHAPuo ,

This book is written by 21 authorities in the field and embodies 345 pages in 10 chapters. It represents a pictorial account of clear two-dimensional echocardiographic reproductions spanning a myriad of present-day clinical applications. Each chapter is well written, concise, factual and well refurenced. Each author painstakingly pointed to the diganostic power of the technique without omitting its limitations. Chapter 2 on anatomic echocardiographic correlations is excellent. It reemphasizes the major contributions of the authors, all from the Mayo Clinic Foundation, to the advancement oftwo-dimensional echocardiography. Chapter 6 on pericardial disease was, I thought, too brief Omitted were an echocardiographic explanation ofthe mechanism ofcardiac tamponade, as well as anatomic echocardiographic explanation ofconstrictive pericardial disease. Chapters 4 and 9 dealt clearly and in detail with the problems of global and symmetric left ventricular function. The book is intended for the adult echocardiographer. Although fur the most part the book is factual, there are occasional quotations without confirmation such as the presence of atnal thrombi in patients with mitral valve prolapse and stroke. This book is printed on first-class paper and the reproductions ofthe various echocardiograms were of high quality. It provides a firm Ibundation in twodimensional

echocardiographic

echocardiography literature.

and

should

be

Charles

a welcome

Z. Nagger,

addition

to

the

M.D. , FCCP Burlington, MA