Drs Bergan and Yao have provided a truly authoritative, state of the art compendium titled Surgery of the Veins. Within 557 pages the editors have assembled 39 chapters by 73 North American and European authors, each recognized for distinguished contributions to the venous literature. The information is for the most part current and clearly stated, with 224 illustrations in nine sections: basic considerations, diagnostic studies, acute deep vein thrombosis, surgery of chronic venous insufficiency, surgery for inherent venous insufficiency, upper-extremity venous thrombosis, surgery of the vena cava, surgical management of venous thromboembolism, and preventative and supportive measures.
Several of the enigmas of venous disease are squarely addressed, including the natural history of the disease, the controversial roles of thrombectomy and adjunctive arteriovenous fistula, and the use of fibrinolytic therapy. The latter discussion is somewhat abbreviated and objective data on the efficacy of this increasingly popular modality are scant. Infrequently performed