Main description:

Few clinical disciplines have been transformed so dramatically by advancements in science and technology as gastrointestinal surgery. To begin with, modern ph- macology has virtually eliminated some kinds of surgery altogether. If one were to take a peek at a typical operating room schedule in a busy hospital of the 1960s, gastrectomies of one kind or another would have constituted a large block of the major surgeries. The advent of effective H2-histamine receptor antagonists and, more + + recently, the H ,K -ATPase (proton pump) inhibitors led to a precipitous decline in those procedures such that they are rarely performed today. Exciting new approaches to treating inflammatory bowel diseases and their complications-such as fistulas- with anticytokine therapy may one day have a similarly profound effect on surgery for this condition as well. Beyond pharmaceutics, advances in imaging techniques have greatly facilitated the identification and characterization of pathology in the gastrointestinal tract in a way that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. Just to visualize the pancreas in some way was a horrendous task until abdominal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or computer tomography made it simple. The fact that the gut is a hollow organ that can be accessed through the mouth, anus, or even through the wall of the abdomen has been fully exploited with fiberoptic endoscopes that can bend around corners with ease and permit surgery to be conducted through them.

Contents:

A. Esophageal Surgery

Esophagectomy and Reconstruction
Michael Kent, Jeffrey Port, and Nasser Altorki

Zenker's Diverticulum
Anders Holm and Denis C. Lafreniere

Esophagectomy for Achalasia: Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy and Dor Fundoplication
Joshua M. Braveman, Lev Khitin, and David M. Brams

Surgery for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Lev Khitin and David M. Brams

Hiatal Hernia Repair
Lev Khitin and David M. Brams

Esophageal Stents
Gaspar Nazareno, Nii Lamptey-Mills, and Jay Benson

Endoscopic Therapy for Esophageal Varices
Jaroslaw Cymorek and Khalid Aziz

B. Gastric Surgery

Surgical Treatment of Peptic Ulcer Disease
Brent W. Miedema and Nitin Rangnekar

Surgical Management of Gastric Tumors
Robert C. G. Martin and Martin S. Karpeh, Jr.

Reconstruction After Distal Gastrectomy
Nitin Rangnekar and Brent W. Miedema

Surgery for Obesity
Carlos Barba and Manuel Lorenzo

Percutaneous Enterostomy Tubes
Gaspar Nazareno and George Y. Wu

C. Small Bowel Surgery

Small Bowel Resections
Eric M. Knauer and Robert A. Kozol

Urinary Diversion Surgery
Scott Rutchick and Peter Albertsen

D. Large Bowel Surgery

Colonic Resection
Robert A. Kozol

Surgery of the Rectum and Anus
Mark Maddox and David Walters

E. Hepatic and Biliary Surgery

Hepatic Resection
John Taggert and Giles F. Whalen

Bypass and Reconstruction of Bile Ducts
John Taggert and Giles F. Whalen

Cholecystectomy
John Taggert and Giles F. Whalen

F. Pancreatic Surgery

Pancreatic Surgery
Janette U. Gaw and Dana K. Andersen

Endoscopic Management of Pancreatic Pseudocysts
Gaspar Nazareno and Khalid Aziz

G. Surgery on Aorta and its Branches

Surgery of the Abdominal Aorta and Branches
Stephanie Saltzberg, Justin A. Maykel, and Cameron M. Akbari

Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Grant J. Price

H. Surgery on Portal Vein

Portasystemic Venous Shunt Surgery for Portal Hypertension
David K. W. Chew and Michael S. Conte

Transjuglar Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt
Grant J. Price

I. Abdominal Hernia Surgery

Hernia Surgery
Christine Bartus and David Giles

J. Peritoneal Surgery

Peritoneal Shunts
Eric M. Knauer and David Giles

Index