This small volume achieves its objective of providing the surgeon with a systemic approach to the treatment of inflammatory and traumatic afflictions of the pancreas. A surprising amount of information is packed into 110 pages of text, and references are complete and up to date.
The initial chapter covers embryology, anatomy, and physiology in an adequate but limited fashion. The second chapter on roentgenology discusses modern techniques of imaging the pancreas thoroughly, with appropriate comment on their limitations.
Acute pancreatitis is covered in the third chapter. The decision to consider acute pancreatitis as any type of acute inflammation, regardless of the underlying chronic process, is somewhat confusing, particularly in light of the lucid description of the Marseille classification in the preface. The brief and incomplete list of drugs that may cause pancreatitis is a shortcoming in a textbook of this type.
Chronic pancreatitis is well covered in the fourth chapter,