Gastrointestinal Surgery: Pathophysiology and Management is an invaluable reference text for surgeons and surgical trainees. Written entirely by Dr. Haile T. Debas, Dean of School of Medicine and former Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, at the University of California, San Francisco, this book provides the unified approach only found in a single-authored text. Based on the three pillars of understanding particular disease processes -- fundamental anatomy and physiology, pathopysiology, and clinical correlations -- surgical treatment of GI disease is presented as the means to correct abnormal physiology and restore health. Using an integrated approach of basic science and clinical practice, Dr. Debas allows the student of surgery to gain a solid understanding of disease processes that minimizes the need for rote memorization. Thirteen lavishly illustrated chapters cover the GI system as well as gastrointestinal peptides and peptide-secreting tumors, abdominal trauma, the abdominal wall, surgery for morbid obesity, the liver, spleen, retroperitoneum, and perioperative care. Dozens of summary tables throughout each chapter condense "essentials" for quick reference. Comprehensive discussions of clinical disorders review the surgical treatment options. With 400 illustrations and tables, including hundreds of anatomical line drawings commissioned exclusively for this textbook, Gastrointestinal Surgery provides a clinical and therapeutic approach to surgical diseases which will prove invaluable to the surgical trainee and the practitioner preparing for recertification.
From the reviews: "As a whole I think this work is an important contribution, especially for young surgeons in training. ... The information provided is up to date and well balanced, and the references are carefully selected ... . A lot of thought has been put into the choice of microscopic and radiological pictures, and the abundant surgical illustrations are clear and instructive. ... a concise work for young surgeons in training that will provide them with a solid basic knowledge ... ." (H. W. Tilanus, The British Journal of Surgery, Vol. 92 (3), 2005) "The book is easy to read and addresses in a rather comprehensive way all major chapters of gastrointestinal surgery. ... can be a useful tool for medical students and residents; it trains them to base the understanding of the development and manifestation of the diseases on the knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology." (M. Elli, Digestive and Liver Disease, Vol. 36, 2004)