- Email: [email protected]
Print and media reviews
GASTROENTEROLOGY 2001;121:227–229
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS Lawrence S. Friedman, M.D. Print and Media Review Editor Gastrointestinal Unit Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
Practice of Therapeutic Endoscopy. Second Edition. Edited by Guido N. J. Tytgat, Meinhard Classen, Jerome D. Waye, and Saburo Nakazawa. 309 pp. $165.00. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ISBN 0-7020-2561-5. There are a number of excellent general gastrointestinal endoscopy textbooks, but there are few excellent subspecialty textbooks. Many textbooks cover the topic of therapeutic endoscopy, but most are limited in scope and cover only a small subset of current and future applications. The second edition of this multiauthored text seems to come close to the ideal balance between breadth of topics and depth of information. In 16 well-selected chapters and 309 pages, this book covers the gamut of therapeutic topics, from gastrointestinal bleeding to mucosal resection to enterostomy. Individual clinical “pearls” in each chapter allow the authors’ experience to be conveyed effectively to the reader. The chapters are easily accessible and understandable for the trainee and novice, yet contain enough detail and technical comments to keep the seasoned therapeutic endoscopist interested and to give them a few pointers. The textbook is edited by well-known therapeutic endoscopists from Europe, Japan, and the United States. The years of expertise that the editors have are reflected in their broad list of authors. The 30 chapter authors are, in most cases, well known although not necessarily universally recognized names on all continents. All of the senior authors are well published in their areas and in some instances are the developers of a technique or propagators of the technique. The organization of each chapter appears to be thoughtful and consistent. Most of the chapters contain a brief clinical introduction with an overview and historical background. All of the chapters review the indications, contraindications, and equipment needed for the safe, effective, and successful performance of the procedure described. Patient preparation, the procedure itself, and postprocedure care are reviewed. In addition, the complications and management of complications are covered in most chapters. In most chapters, clinical studies documenting the efficacy and expected results of the procedures are reviewed. A summary conclusion in each chapter helps place the procedure into clinical perspective. All of the chapters end with a “Checklist of Practice Points”; these are a quick and simplified checklist of “pearls” that are especially useful for the trainee and novice practitioner. In most chapters the literature citations are thorough and up-to-date. An important consideration in a textbook of endoscopic therapy is the quality of the illustrations and photographs, and this book has excellent graphics. Each chapter is well illus-
trated and designed with many examples of histopathology (if appropriate), radiographs, and illustrations of the equipment. The illustrative endoscopic photographs are in full color, and almost all are high-quality digital photographs, with a minimum of fiberoptic pictures. When necessary there are additional drawings, which are clear and in a single color. Tables are well organized and legible, with enough space devoted to each and adequate font size. Not all chapters contain synopses of the relevant literature in table form, but when present, these tables are quite helpful and convey a summary of the published literature and the data that are presented by the author. Of course, as in most textbooks, some of the references are not the most recent, but the key literature and classic articles are cited appropriately in most instances. Bottom Line: I recommend this well-written multiauthored textbook that covers most aspects of therapeutic endoscopy. It is suitable for both gastroenterology fellows and seasoned clinicians and will serve as a reference for a number of years to come.
MICHAEL L. KOCHMAN, M.D. Gastroenterology Division University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Biomedical Research Reports: Hepatitis C. By T. Jake Liang and Jay H. Hoofnagle. 493 pp. $99.95. Academic Press, San Diego, California. ISBN 0-12447870-0. This book is an ambitious work designed to define the advances in our understanding of hepatitis C that have taken place over the past decade. To achieve this goal, the editors have assembled an outstanding group of contributors, who have summarized almost every aspect of our knowledge of this viral infection, including the virology, immunology, clinical course, and therapy. The book is intended to be a marriage between basic science and clinical medicine and is one of those rare books that is actually able to achieve this lofty goal. A particularly pleasing aspect of this work is the realization that research in hepatitis C is a dynamic field with new advances in our understanding of the virus and therapy almost annually. The authors have outlined the anticipated advances and areas of future research at the end of each chapter. The book is comprehensive and directed to almost all physicians and investigators involved in the care of patients with hepatitis. The sections on special populations, such as patients with renal disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, prior transplantation, and pregnancy, increase the target audi-
228
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS
ence from gastroenterologists and hepatologists to other specialists dealing with patients who have hepatitis C. Fortunately, even though the book is comprehensive, the reader can find the relevant information easily and concisely presented in short, circumscribed chapters. The chapters on special populations are highly relevant for both the novice and the expert. The basic science chapters on virology, immunology, and diagnostic testing present an excellent review for basic scientists in the field and will be of great value to clinicians trying to understand the complexity of the hepatitis C virus. The book succeeds in bringing knowledge from the laboratory to the bedside. As expected, the chapter on therapy is somewhat dated in light of the rapid pace of changes in the treatment of hepatitis C, and information on combination therapy with pegylated interferons and ribavirin is sparse. The style is easy to read throughout, and the book is well illustrated, with some color photographs of the histology and clinical manifestations of disease. Bottom Line: This is the first comprehensive book on this important virus and its myriad clinical manifestations. The book is an essential reference for all physicians involved in the care of patients with hepatitis C and will have an extremely broad appeal. It will be the standard reference text for hepatitis C for many years to come and is recommended as an essential component of the library of all physicians and scientists interested in hepatitis C.
NEZAM H. AFDHAL, M.D. Liver Center Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts Microlaparoscopy. By Oscar D. Almeida, Jr. 110 pp. $149.95. Wiley-Liss, New York, New York. ISBN 0471345741. The past decade has seen tremendous advances in the field of minimal access surgery. Among the changes has been the miniaturization of both the laparoscope and laparoscopic tools. Dr. Oscar Almeida, Jr., an acknowledged expert in the field of the microlaparoscopy, has compiled his experience in this 111-page monograph. The book is comprised of 13 chapters, 9 of which are written by Dr. Almeida. All of the chapters are concise and highly readable. There is relative uniformity of style throughout the book. Some chapters are particularly well written and emphasize the critical importance of careful patient selection and of understanding the limits of microlaparoscopic technology, particularly when performing these procedures in an officebased setting. This book provides some useful information which might ordinarily not be part of a surgical textbook. For example, chapters on equipment and informed consent are particularly valuable. Another interesting chapter is the book’s final one, which describes how Dr. Almeida negotiates reimbursement for these procedures, because most payers have not historically provided facility fees for procedures that are performed in
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 121, No. 1
doctors’ offices. In contrast, however, is the section on anesthesia. It is superficial at best and contains several important omissions regarding necessary equipment for safe conscious sedation. Dr. Almeida’s protocol is presented only as a table in Chapter 4 and merits much more detailed explanation before being used in a reader’s practice. This book will be valuable for gynecologists who are commonly confronted with determining the cause of chronic pelvic pain. For general surgeons, it may be of some interest. Although the book does not add new knowledge to the field, it is a concise description as a “how I do it” monograph. Bottom Line: This monograph would be useful as a guide primarily for gynecologists interested in performing minilaparoscopic operations, particularly in an office-based setting. However, it is not complete enough to serve as a full-fledged manual for these type of procedures.
DAVID W. RATTNER, M.D. General and Gastrointestinal Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Gastrointestinal Imaging: Case Review. By Peter J. Feczko and Robert D. Halpert. 218 pp. $39.95. Mosby, St. Louis, Missouri. ISBN 0323008917. The Case Review series of radiology texts was created to help radiology residents and fellows prepare for board examinations. In this book’s preface, Dr. Yousem, the Series Editor and a Professor of Radiology at Johns Hopkins, notes the enthusiasm with which residents have approached case-based teaching. In addition, he cites the lack of opportunities for imminent test-takers to challenge themselves in a format that mimics the examination setting. With these thoughts in mind, the Case Review series covers a wide range of radiology subspecialties, including Nuclear Medicine and Vascular Interventional Imaging. The Gastrointestinal Imaging volume in this series presents 200 gastrointestinal radiology cases, including liver and biliary disease. Each case consists of one or more images followed by 4 questions related to the image. More than one imaging modality is presented for each case, if warranted. There is a generous offering of single- and double-contrast barium studies, plain films, computed tomographic scans, and abdominal ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic images. The diseases presented include neoplastic, infectious, inflammatory, and mechanical disorders and encompass a wide variety of luminal, hepatic, pancreatic, and biliary disorders. There are many advantages to this case-based approach to teaching radiology. The reader is challenged to identify the radiologic abnormality and create a differential diagnosis based on the findings. The authors have selected images that are pathognomonic for the disease entity. Two cases and their accompanying questions are presented per page. On the following page the case’s answers are given, with references and cross-references to The Requisites series, followed by a short
July 2001
discussion of the clinical entity. The images are sized appropriately, of uniformly good quality, and readily interpretable. The cases are divided into 3 categories of increasing difficulty: Opening Round cases, Fair Game, and the Challenge section. Indices of the cases and the terms used throughout the text are provided for quick referencing. The 4 questions that follow each case challenge the reader to identify the disease entity and its most common clinical presentation and to generate a differential diagnosis. The short discussion following the answers is a salient review of the pertinent clinical and radiologic aspects of the disease. The discussions of the clinical aspects of the disease are clear, concise, and remarkably thorough. There are minor drawbacks to the text. As a nonradiologist, I occasionally found myself scanning the questions for clues as to what part of the image was pertinent. Frequently, 1 of the 4 questions contained the answer. In addition, there seemed to be a higher proportion of barium-based studies than the practicing physician would likely encounter, but this may reflect
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS
229
the need for radiologists to brush up on their interpretation of these studies. Finally, an image highlighting the area of pathology might have been helpful in the answers to some cases. Overall, the book is an enjoyable and effective way to review the typical radiologic presentations of both common and rare gastrointestinal diseases in a case-based format. A radiology resident or a gastroenterology fellow preparing for a Board examination would be well served by this textbook. This is undoubtedly what the Case Review authors had in mind when preparing this series. Bottom Line: This soft-cover textbook will be a valuable resource to any gastroenterology trainee wishing to test his or her knowledge of radiographic interpretation when preparing for Board examinations.
JOHN M. PONEROS, M.D. Gastrointestinal Unit Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS Lawrence S. Friedman, M.D. Print and Media Review Editor Gastrointestinal Unit Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
Practice of Therapeutic Endoscopy. Second Edition. Edited by Guido N. J. Tytgat, Meinhard Classen, Jerome D. Waye, and Saburo Nakazawa. 309 pp. $165.00. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ISBN 0-7020-2561-5. There are a number of excellent general gastrointestinal endoscopy textbooks, but there are few excellent subspecialty textbooks. Many textbooks cover the topic of therapeutic endoscopy, but most are limited in scope and cover only a small subset of current and future applications. The second edition of this multiauthored text seems to come close to the ideal balance between breadth of topics and depth of information. In 16 well-selected chapters and 309 pages, this book covers the gamut of therapeutic topics, from gastrointestinal bleeding to mucosal resection to enterostomy. Individual clinical “pearls” in each chapter allow the authors’ experience to be conveyed effectively to the reader. The chapters are easily accessible and understandable for the trainee and novice, yet contain enough detail and technical comments to keep the seasoned therapeutic endoscopist interested and to give them a few pointers. The textbook is edited by well-known therapeutic endoscopists from Europe, Japan, and the United States. The years of expertise that the editors have are reflected in their broad list of authors. The 30 chapter authors are, in most cases, well known although not necessarily universally recognized names on all continents. All of the senior authors are well published in their areas and in some instances are the developers of a technique or propagators of the technique. The organization of each chapter appears to be thoughtful and consistent. Most of the chapters contain a brief clinical introduction with an overview and historical background. All of the chapters review the indications, contraindications, and equipment needed for the safe, effective, and successful performance of the procedure described. Patient preparation, the procedure itself, and postprocedure care are reviewed. In addition, the complications and management of complications are covered in most chapters. In most chapters, clinical studies documenting the efficacy and expected results of the procedures are reviewed. A summary conclusion in each chapter helps place the procedure into clinical perspective. All of the chapters end with a “Checklist of Practice Points”; these are a quick and simplified checklist of “pearls” that are especially useful for the trainee and novice practitioner. In most chapters the literature citations are thorough and up-to-date. An important consideration in a textbook of endoscopic therapy is the quality of the illustrations and photographs, and this book has excellent graphics. Each chapter is well illus-
trated and designed with many examples of histopathology (if appropriate), radiographs, and illustrations of the equipment. The illustrative endoscopic photographs are in full color, and almost all are high-quality digital photographs, with a minimum of fiberoptic pictures. When necessary there are additional drawings, which are clear and in a single color. Tables are well organized and legible, with enough space devoted to each and adequate font size. Not all chapters contain synopses of the relevant literature in table form, but when present, these tables are quite helpful and convey a summary of the published literature and the data that are presented by the author. Of course, as in most textbooks, some of the references are not the most recent, but the key literature and classic articles are cited appropriately in most instances. Bottom Line: I recommend this well-written multiauthored textbook that covers most aspects of therapeutic endoscopy. It is suitable for both gastroenterology fellows and seasoned clinicians and will serve as a reference for a number of years to come.
MICHAEL L. KOCHMAN, M.D. Gastroenterology Division University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Biomedical Research Reports: Hepatitis C. By T. Jake Liang and Jay H. Hoofnagle. 493 pp. $99.95. Academic Press, San Diego, California. ISBN 0-12447870-0. This book is an ambitious work designed to define the advances in our understanding of hepatitis C that have taken place over the past decade. To achieve this goal, the editors have assembled an outstanding group of contributors, who have summarized almost every aspect of our knowledge of this viral infection, including the virology, immunology, clinical course, and therapy. The book is intended to be a marriage between basic science and clinical medicine and is one of those rare books that is actually able to achieve this lofty goal. A particularly pleasing aspect of this work is the realization that research in hepatitis C is a dynamic field with new advances in our understanding of the virus and therapy almost annually. The authors have outlined the anticipated advances and areas of future research at the end of each chapter. The book is comprehensive and directed to almost all physicians and investigators involved in the care of patients with hepatitis. The sections on special populations, such as patients with renal disease, human immunodeficiency virus infection, prior transplantation, and pregnancy, increase the target audi-
228
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS
ence from gastroenterologists and hepatologists to other specialists dealing with patients who have hepatitis C. Fortunately, even though the book is comprehensive, the reader can find the relevant information easily and concisely presented in short, circumscribed chapters. The chapters on special populations are highly relevant for both the novice and the expert. The basic science chapters on virology, immunology, and diagnostic testing present an excellent review for basic scientists in the field and will be of great value to clinicians trying to understand the complexity of the hepatitis C virus. The book succeeds in bringing knowledge from the laboratory to the bedside. As expected, the chapter on therapy is somewhat dated in light of the rapid pace of changes in the treatment of hepatitis C, and information on combination therapy with pegylated interferons and ribavirin is sparse. The style is easy to read throughout, and the book is well illustrated, with some color photographs of the histology and clinical manifestations of disease. Bottom Line: This is the first comprehensive book on this important virus and its myriad clinical manifestations. The book is an essential reference for all physicians involved in the care of patients with hepatitis C and will have an extremely broad appeal. It will be the standard reference text for hepatitis C for many years to come and is recommended as an essential component of the library of all physicians and scientists interested in hepatitis C.
NEZAM H. AFDHAL, M.D. Liver Center Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts Microlaparoscopy. By Oscar D. Almeida, Jr. 110 pp. $149.95. Wiley-Liss, New York, New York. ISBN 0471345741. The past decade has seen tremendous advances in the field of minimal access surgery. Among the changes has been the miniaturization of both the laparoscope and laparoscopic tools. Dr. Oscar Almeida, Jr., an acknowledged expert in the field of the microlaparoscopy, has compiled his experience in this 111-page monograph. The book is comprised of 13 chapters, 9 of which are written by Dr. Almeida. All of the chapters are concise and highly readable. There is relative uniformity of style throughout the book. Some chapters are particularly well written and emphasize the critical importance of careful patient selection and of understanding the limits of microlaparoscopic technology, particularly when performing these procedures in an officebased setting. This book provides some useful information which might ordinarily not be part of a surgical textbook. For example, chapters on equipment and informed consent are particularly valuable. Another interesting chapter is the book’s final one, which describes how Dr. Almeida negotiates reimbursement for these procedures, because most payers have not historically provided facility fees for procedures that are performed in
GASTROENTEROLOGY Vol. 121, No. 1
doctors’ offices. In contrast, however, is the section on anesthesia. It is superficial at best and contains several important omissions regarding necessary equipment for safe conscious sedation. Dr. Almeida’s protocol is presented only as a table in Chapter 4 and merits much more detailed explanation before being used in a reader’s practice. This book will be valuable for gynecologists who are commonly confronted with determining the cause of chronic pelvic pain. For general surgeons, it may be of some interest. Although the book does not add new knowledge to the field, it is a concise description as a “how I do it” monograph. Bottom Line: This monograph would be useful as a guide primarily for gynecologists interested in performing minilaparoscopic operations, particularly in an office-based setting. However, it is not complete enough to serve as a full-fledged manual for these type of procedures.
DAVID W. RATTNER, M.D. General and Gastrointestinal Surgery Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Gastrointestinal Imaging: Case Review. By Peter J. Feczko and Robert D. Halpert. 218 pp. $39.95. Mosby, St. Louis, Missouri. ISBN 0323008917. The Case Review series of radiology texts was created to help radiology residents and fellows prepare for board examinations. In this book’s preface, Dr. Yousem, the Series Editor and a Professor of Radiology at Johns Hopkins, notes the enthusiasm with which residents have approached case-based teaching. In addition, he cites the lack of opportunities for imminent test-takers to challenge themselves in a format that mimics the examination setting. With these thoughts in mind, the Case Review series covers a wide range of radiology subspecialties, including Nuclear Medicine and Vascular Interventional Imaging. The Gastrointestinal Imaging volume in this series presents 200 gastrointestinal radiology cases, including liver and biliary disease. Each case consists of one or more images followed by 4 questions related to the image. More than one imaging modality is presented for each case, if warranted. There is a generous offering of single- and double-contrast barium studies, plain films, computed tomographic scans, and abdominal ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic images. The diseases presented include neoplastic, infectious, inflammatory, and mechanical disorders and encompass a wide variety of luminal, hepatic, pancreatic, and biliary disorders. There are many advantages to this case-based approach to teaching radiology. The reader is challenged to identify the radiologic abnormality and create a differential diagnosis based on the findings. The authors have selected images that are pathognomonic for the disease entity. Two cases and their accompanying questions are presented per page. On the following page the case’s answers are given, with references and cross-references to The Requisites series, followed by a short
July 2001
discussion of the clinical entity. The images are sized appropriately, of uniformly good quality, and readily interpretable. The cases are divided into 3 categories of increasing difficulty: Opening Round cases, Fair Game, and the Challenge section. Indices of the cases and the terms used throughout the text are provided for quick referencing. The 4 questions that follow each case challenge the reader to identify the disease entity and its most common clinical presentation and to generate a differential diagnosis. The short discussion following the answers is a salient review of the pertinent clinical and radiologic aspects of the disease. The discussions of the clinical aspects of the disease are clear, concise, and remarkably thorough. There are minor drawbacks to the text. As a nonradiologist, I occasionally found myself scanning the questions for clues as to what part of the image was pertinent. Frequently, 1 of the 4 questions contained the answer. In addition, there seemed to be a higher proportion of barium-based studies than the practicing physician would likely encounter, but this may reflect
PRINT AND MEDIA REVIEWS
229
the need for radiologists to brush up on their interpretation of these studies. Finally, an image highlighting the area of pathology might have been helpful in the answers to some cases. Overall, the book is an enjoyable and effective way to review the typical radiologic presentations of both common and rare gastrointestinal diseases in a case-based format. A radiology resident or a gastroenterology fellow preparing for a Board examination would be well served by this textbook. This is undoubtedly what the Case Review authors had in mind when preparing this series. Bottom Line: This soft-cover textbook will be a valuable resource to any gastroenterology trainee wishing to test his or her knowledge of radiographic interpretation when preparing for Board examinations.
JOHN M. PONEROS, M.D. Gastrointestinal Unit Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts