Textbook of Gastroenterology-2 Volume Set, 4th Edition

Textbook of Gastroenterology-2 Volume Set, 4th Edition Editor: Tadataka Yamada, MD Bibliographic Data: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003. ISBN: 0-7817-2861-4, NLM: WI 140, 3900 pp, hard cover, $289.00.

Reviewer's Expert Opinion:

Description:

This is the fourth edition of a leading encyclopedic gastroenterology textbook. It represents an all-encompassing integrated approach to the science, technology, and clinical practice of gastroenterology. The book begins with a section describing the basic mechanisms of normal and abnormal gastrointestinal function, followed by a major section detailing the clinician's approach to patients presenting with common gastrointestinal problems. The bulk of the book comprises an encyclopedic discussion of virtually all of the disease states encountered in practice. The final section describes all of the major technologies, both longstanding and very recent, currently available to clinicians. This updates the third edition published in 1999.

Purpose:

The book integrates the numerous aspects of science, technology, rapidly expanding information, and clinical judgment and common sense into the diagnosis and management of patients with gastrointestinal diseases. The authors admirably achieve their stated goal of providing an encyclopedic educational treatise for students and practitioners of the medical science of gastroenterology.

Audience:

The authors, predominantly from the United States, are all credible authorities in their respective areas. The book is meant for the education of practicing and training gastroenterologists and surgeons, but also, especially in the changing healthcare environment and given the frequency of gastrointestinal complaints in clinical practice, primary care physicians and physician extenders.

Features:

This 2-volume work includes 162 chapters, 3,309 pages and an excellent index of 169 pages. Part 1 deals with basic mechanisms of normal and abnormal gastrointestinal function, while part 2 describes the approaches to common gastrointestinal problems. Part 3 contains an organ-based description of various gastrointestinal diseases and Part 4 discusses the many and rapidly expanding diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in gastroenterology. New to this edition is a section (16 chapters) on liver diseases; with the realization that most gastroenterologists also treat patients with liver problems. Among the many excellent chapters, the sections on clinical decision-making, economic analysis, molecular biologic approaches and endoscopic ultrasonography are particularly enjoyable. The illustrations are of a high quality.

Assessment:

This fourth edition is a most worthwhile heavyweight addition to the field; it is all-inclusive, authoritative, beautifully produced and ranks as a top contender. Rapid advances in the field justify replacing the previous edition. It should be available in any GI practitioner's office or practice as well as in medical libraries. Personally, I find its main competitor, Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology/Diagnosis/Management, 7th edition (W.B. Saunders, 2002), somewhat more digestible and user-friendly. The liver section in the latter textbook is also more complete.