The author acknowledges that this short (183 pages) book designed for surgeons is not meant to be "everything you ever wanted to know about abdominal stomas." For this it provides a list of references for more detailed, specific information.
But 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, constructing the stoma, postoperative care, skin problems, complications, and recent advances. Turnbull and others have written on operation technique of stomas, but most texts ignore postoperative care of the stoma, stomal 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 in the first place. He also covers methods for handling skin problems associated with poorly placed or constructed stomas. His photographs of stomas and stomal problems