Foreword

In this increasing age of sub-specialisation in medicine in general and surgery in particular, learning organ specific details for diagnosis and treatment is a challenge to every clinician. This e-book ‘Oesophago-gastric Surgery’ will therefore come as a welcome addition to the specialist literature on the subject. It has been put together, written and edited by a multi-disciplinary specialist team from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland, who have covered the full range of oesophago-gastric conditions and their treatment. The book is meant primarily for surgical trainees, both with a general and specialist upper GI interest, as well as consultants who wish to gain up-to-date knowledge of this area. It goes into great detail in all the areas of benign, pre-malignant and malignant disease. The book is well referenced and provides very clear figures and diagrams to help the reader understand many of the complexities of treatment. While the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus is falling, and of adenocarcinoma is rising, the management of the pre-malignant condition of Barrett’s oesophagus has therefore, become increasingly important. The role of surgery in the management of gastro-oesophageal reflux and other benign conditions has increased significantly over the last 20 years with advances in minimally invasive surgery. This has brought the medical and surgical endoscopists into a much closer relationship than in the past, with recognition that treatment can now be tailored to the underlying condition and the patients’ needs. The background pathophysiology on which both diagnosis and management are based on particularly useful and is a credit to the editorial team and the authors involved. Overall, this is a well-written, detailed and up to date e-book, which covers all the relevant areas of oesophago-gastric surgery and will be a very welcome addition to the eBook series.