This slim volume, edited by endoscopists from Frankfurt, West Germany, Racine, Wis, and Kyoto, Japan, is based on articles presented at a truly international (38 contributors from ten countries) conference. The majority of the contributors are from West Germany, where Classen and his colleagues have been leaders in the use of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PCT) and endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage. The 20 factfilled and carefully referenced articles are largely written by invasive radiologists and endoscopists, with a few token surgical contributors. It behooves surgeons to stay current with the results of these colleagues of ours in the management of a field that not long ago was our sole turf. The field is so dynamic that such updates with a short publication lead time, are valuable.
The first part of the book (63 pages) summarizes the results of PCT drainage. Of the most value are reports of collected experiences in over