This author acknowledges that this short (183 pages) book, which is intended for surgeons, is not meant to be "everything you ever wanted to know about abdominal stomas." The book provides a list of references for more detailed, specific information for those who want more.
It is one of the more compact, all-inclusive books on this subject that is now available. It contains succinct, thorough information on types of ostomies, preoperative preparation, stoma construction, postoperative care, skin problems, complications, and recent advances. The books by Turnbull and other authors emphasize the operative technique of stoma construction, but most ignore postoperative care of the stoma, stoma complications, or information on appliances. Abrams not only acknowledges the problem of poorly placed stomas, but also gives appropriate suggestions on how to avoid the problem. He also covers methods for handling skin problems associated with poorly placed or constructed stomas. His photographs of stomas