Surgical management of hepatobiliary and pancreatic disorders, 2nd ed
Optimal management of patients with hepatic, pancreatic or biliary diseases requires a thorough understanding and practical application of anatomy, pathophysiology, diagnostic and imaging tools, surgical technique/approaches and multidisciplinary treatment options. The second edition of “Surgical Management of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Disorders” delivers these essential ingredients and, therefore, is a valuable companion for any surgeon or “surgeon want-to-be” whose interest lies in caring for patients with this complex yet fascinating array of benign and malignant disorders of the hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) axis.
The editors correctly point out that while in many tertiary and university-based care centers these patients are managed by a team of experts specializing in these disease entities, the majority of patients will fall under the care of general surgeons who will require a fundamental knowledge base that allows for informed decision making and appropriate initial or long-term management. This book is targeting that general surgery population and provides a foundation to deliver the present day standard of care to the cohort of patients with hepato-pancreato-biliary disorders.
This hardcover text is edited by three renowned experts in the field of hepatic, pancreatic and biliary surgery. They have assembled approximately 100 contributors who read as a veritable who’s who in hepatic, pancreatic and biliary surgery. The book, 500 pages in length, is divided into five major sections: 1. Anatomy/Imaging/Surgical Technique, 2. Liver, 3. Bile Duct and Gallbladder, 4. Pancreas and 5. Pediatric HBP Disorders. Each organ site is further subdivided into malignant and benign categories and the malignant liver section is subclassified under primary and secondary disease headings. In all there are 51 chapters covering the gamut of important issues related to the surgical management of patients with hepato-pancreato-biliary disease. Most noteworthy are chapters that are dedicated to specific areas of ongoing controversy or unique clinical scenarios which surgeons find particularly vexing. Examples include “Liver surgery in elderly patients”, “Small solitary hepatic metastases: when and how”, “Surgical complications of pancreatectomy”, “Treatment of laparoscopically discovered gallbladder cancer” and “Endoscopic management of biliary obstruction”. All in all in each area of the text covered by the expert contributors provides the necessary components of management in a concise and readily understandable manner to optimally transfer the information provided to the treatment of patients in a seamless fashion. The prose is well complimented by artistic illustrations, figures and tables and intraoperative photographs. Finally, the text is quite up-to-date in terms of application of multidisciplinary management approaches in the proper current day management of patients with malignant disease and provides appropriate level of evidence to validate the treatment recommendations offered.
Despite being a surgeon who is recognized for being fairly well read in the management of hepato-pancreatico-biliary disorders, I personally found this book to be an especially useful resource to confirm or enhance my current understanding of a specific clinical HPB disorder. For the practicing general surgeon this book will prove to be invaluable when they are faced with a hepato-pancreatico-biliary diseases and clinical scenarios that they may or may not confront on a regular basis. As a program director for both the general surgery and surgical oncology training programs at our institution, I believe this is an ideal text to serve as an initial reference for those in surgical training who have been confronted with a new HPB clinical situation or preparing for board certification examinations. I know that my surgical residents, surgical fellows and I will be glad to have this text readily available in our library.
Footnote
No potential conflict of interest.
