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Plastic and reconstructive breast surgery
British Joumal ofPlastic Surgery (1991), 44,239-240 0 1991The Trustees of British Association of Plastic Surgeons
I.
Book Reviews “Aesthetic Blepharoplasty” aad “Facelifting”. Price DM 275
most fundamental advance in the last decade in the management of these patients has been the development of multidisciplinary teams to provide expertise from many different specialists. While this point is emphasised in many chapters, I, as a plastic surgeon, am very disappointed to find how little space is devoted to reconstructive surgery. One chapter amongst fifty-one does not do justice to the great advances in this important aspect of treatment. It was surprising to find some authors writing in apparent ignorance of the new techniques available in this field. This book contains a mass of information and references useful to anyone involved in head and neck cancer management. The text is well presented and printed with good black and white photographic reproduction but better use could have been made of the six colour-plates. The diagrams and tables are very variable but are, on the whole, good and useful. For 1132 pages of text, the book is reasonably priced but inevitably bulky and heavy and unlikely to be moved from the library where it belongs. M. D. BROUGH
each video. These are professionally produced VHS videos. They are distributed by the German book publisher Thieme at a cost of approximately E95.00 each. The theory and incisions are illustrated by animated diagrams. Preoperative assessment and marking, operative technique and results are shown. A number of controversial assumptions are made but the commentary, American English, is precise. “Facelifting”, with a running time of about 16 minutes, centres around what the author, Rolf Mfmker, calls “the bilobed SMASplatysma flap” in a bloodless field; the elevation of this flap is beautifully illustrated. Viewing of the second video “Aesthetic Blepharoplasty” reveals a superior quality of production. The techniques of upper and lower blepharoplasty in two different patients are filmed and the running time is 30 minutes. Excision of strips of skin, muscle and orbital septum in upper eyelid reduction is carefully demonstrated in an elderly patient with lid ptosis due to orbicularis hypertrophy. In the second case, a middle aged lady with baggy lower eyelids, preoperative marking of the three fat compartments and the Schirmer test are shown. The muscle flap technique is clearly displayed together with excision of herniated periorbital fat. Somehow, the lower reduction is made to appear easier than the upper! If the novice was tempted to try them the results could be disastrous. These videos would contribute to the education of the trainee plastic surgeon but are no substitute to the painstaking, structured and closely supervised operative training necessary before patients could be safely operated upon.
Plastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery. By John Bostwick III. 2 ~01s. 1242 pp plus index (St. Louis Quality Publishing Inc) Price f32@--ISBN 0 942 21905 8.
Medical
This is a beautifully produced book. It covers in considerable depth all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast in two volumes. The lirst is in two parts covering what the author describes as “The Fundamentals” and aesthetic breast surgery. The second volume is devoted to reconstructive breast surgery. The author has committed to paper a large personal experience of all facets of his subject which makes the text informative and allows the reader to draw on that experience to help solve problems with which he has been presented. Each topic is dealt with comprehensively and an attempt has been made to reduce duplications to a minimum. Dr Bostwick is joined by 3 co-authors, one for each of three specific chapters; Dr Hester on “Implants and Expanders”, Dr Coleman on “Breast Cancer” and Dr Nahai on “Microsurgical Techniques”. The work is profusely illustrated with line drawings, black and white and colour photographs which greatly enhance the text. Each surgical technique discussed is shown pictorially and longterm follow up views enable the reader to judge for himself the validity of method employed. The TRAM flap breast reconstruction is discussed at some length and useful advice given on its application in particular clinical situations. Each chapter has at its end a reference section, some containing more than 100 references. The references are not routinely referred to in the text, which allows it to flow. An exception to this general rule is usefully made on the chapter dealing with implants and expanders. The final section, “In Retrospect”, is an account of the author’s journey over the last 20 years in the field of plastic and reconstructive breast surgery. It not only allows the reader to observe the progress that has been made over that period but also suggests areas where further advances should be possible. This is a weighty work which, even though produced in two volumes, I found difficult to handle because of its physical dimensions and quite impossible to manage as “bedtime reading”. This is only a minor criticism of a book which I enjoyed and would recommend to both trainees and established surgeons. It is expensive and I suspect falls into the group of books which libraries should stock rather than the individual purchase. J. D. WATSON
A. A. QUABA
Cancer of the Head and Neck. By Eugene
N. Myers and JamesY. Suen. 2nd edition 1989. N.Y., Edinburgh, London, Melbourne, Churchill Livingstone XV + 1132 pages. Illustrated. Price E95. The second edition of this book includes many changes and additions from the first edition published in 1981. New chapters have been added and some old ones radically changed in the fields where technology has progressed. The chapter on radiology includes excellent illustrations of computerised tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging, showing the enotmousadvances made in preoperative assessment in the last decade. The chapter on chemotherapy provides much-needed information on this useful adjunct to treatment. Other new chapters cover a variety of topics including cranial base turnouts, paediatric tumours, the use of antibiotics, rehabilitation of the voice after laryngectomy and speech and swallowing rehabilitation. It is common in multi-authored books to tind inconsistencies in style and much repetition unless there has been radical intervention by the editors. This book is no exception. There are 52 specialist contributors from the United States and four chapters are written by authors from other countries. The chapter by Professor Gordon Snow from Holland on Evaluation and Staging of the Patient with Head and Neck Cancer is excellent, providing a good clinical introduction to the book. What a pity that the preceding chapter written by the eminent French surgeon, Professor Yves Cachin, could not have been better translated to provide the polished start that a book of this size deserves. Many patients with cancer of the head and neck are treated by E.N.T. surgeons and this book is targetted at them. However, the
239
I.
Book Reviews “Aesthetic Blepharoplasty” aad “Facelifting”. Price DM 275
most fundamental advance in the last decade in the management of these patients has been the development of multidisciplinary teams to provide expertise from many different specialists. While this point is emphasised in many chapters, I, as a plastic surgeon, am very disappointed to find how little space is devoted to reconstructive surgery. One chapter amongst fifty-one does not do justice to the great advances in this important aspect of treatment. It was surprising to find some authors writing in apparent ignorance of the new techniques available in this field. This book contains a mass of information and references useful to anyone involved in head and neck cancer management. The text is well presented and printed with good black and white photographic reproduction but better use could have been made of the six colour-plates. The diagrams and tables are very variable but are, on the whole, good and useful. For 1132 pages of text, the book is reasonably priced but inevitably bulky and heavy and unlikely to be moved from the library where it belongs. M. D. BROUGH
each video. These are professionally produced VHS videos. They are distributed by the German book publisher Thieme at a cost of approximately E95.00 each. The theory and incisions are illustrated by animated diagrams. Preoperative assessment and marking, operative technique and results are shown. A number of controversial assumptions are made but the commentary, American English, is precise. “Facelifting”, with a running time of about 16 minutes, centres around what the author, Rolf Mfmker, calls “the bilobed SMASplatysma flap” in a bloodless field; the elevation of this flap is beautifully illustrated. Viewing of the second video “Aesthetic Blepharoplasty” reveals a superior quality of production. The techniques of upper and lower blepharoplasty in two different patients are filmed and the running time is 30 minutes. Excision of strips of skin, muscle and orbital septum in upper eyelid reduction is carefully demonstrated in an elderly patient with lid ptosis due to orbicularis hypertrophy. In the second case, a middle aged lady with baggy lower eyelids, preoperative marking of the three fat compartments and the Schirmer test are shown. The muscle flap technique is clearly displayed together with excision of herniated periorbital fat. Somehow, the lower reduction is made to appear easier than the upper! If the novice was tempted to try them the results could be disastrous. These videos would contribute to the education of the trainee plastic surgeon but are no substitute to the painstaking, structured and closely supervised operative training necessary before patients could be safely operated upon.
Plastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery. By John Bostwick III. 2 ~01s. 1242 pp plus index (St. Louis Quality Publishing Inc) Price f32@--ISBN 0 942 21905 8.
Medical
This is a beautifully produced book. It covers in considerable depth all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast in two volumes. The lirst is in two parts covering what the author describes as “The Fundamentals” and aesthetic breast surgery. The second volume is devoted to reconstructive breast surgery. The author has committed to paper a large personal experience of all facets of his subject which makes the text informative and allows the reader to draw on that experience to help solve problems with which he has been presented. Each topic is dealt with comprehensively and an attempt has been made to reduce duplications to a minimum. Dr Bostwick is joined by 3 co-authors, one for each of three specific chapters; Dr Hester on “Implants and Expanders”, Dr Coleman on “Breast Cancer” and Dr Nahai on “Microsurgical Techniques”. The work is profusely illustrated with line drawings, black and white and colour photographs which greatly enhance the text. Each surgical technique discussed is shown pictorially and longterm follow up views enable the reader to judge for himself the validity of method employed. The TRAM flap breast reconstruction is discussed at some length and useful advice given on its application in particular clinical situations. Each chapter has at its end a reference section, some containing more than 100 references. The references are not routinely referred to in the text, which allows it to flow. An exception to this general rule is usefully made on the chapter dealing with implants and expanders. The final section, “In Retrospect”, is an account of the author’s journey over the last 20 years in the field of plastic and reconstructive breast surgery. It not only allows the reader to observe the progress that has been made over that period but also suggests areas where further advances should be possible. This is a weighty work which, even though produced in two volumes, I found difficult to handle because of its physical dimensions and quite impossible to manage as “bedtime reading”. This is only a minor criticism of a book which I enjoyed and would recommend to both trainees and established surgeons. It is expensive and I suspect falls into the group of books which libraries should stock rather than the individual purchase. J. D. WATSON
A. A. QUABA
Cancer of the Head and Neck. By Eugene
N. Myers and JamesY. Suen. 2nd edition 1989. N.Y., Edinburgh, London, Melbourne, Churchill Livingstone XV + 1132 pages. Illustrated. Price E95. The second edition of this book includes many changes and additions from the first edition published in 1981. New chapters have been added and some old ones radically changed in the fields where technology has progressed. The chapter on radiology includes excellent illustrations of computerised tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging, showing the enotmousadvances made in preoperative assessment in the last decade. The chapter on chemotherapy provides much-needed information on this useful adjunct to treatment. Other new chapters cover a variety of topics including cranial base turnouts, paediatric tumours, the use of antibiotics, rehabilitation of the voice after laryngectomy and speech and swallowing rehabilitation. It is common in multi-authored books to tind inconsistencies in style and much repetition unless there has been radical intervention by the editors. This book is no exception. There are 52 specialist contributors from the United States and four chapters are written by authors from other countries. The chapter by Professor Gordon Snow from Holland on Evaluation and Staging of the Patient with Head and Neck Cancer is excellent, providing a good clinical introduction to the book. What a pity that the preceding chapter written by the eminent French surgeon, Professor Yves Cachin, could not have been better translated to provide the polished start that a book of this size deserves. Many patients with cancer of the head and neck are treated by E.N.T. surgeons and this book is targetted at them. However, the
239