Although intestinal stomas have been an integral part of abdominal surgery for more than a century, the technique of stoma construction and the principles of stoma management have too often received only minimal attention. The publication of this comprehensive, multiauthored textbook underscores the wealth of knowledge and experience that has enhanced modern stoma surgery, and the text reaffirms the principle that construction of an intestinal stoma must involve a commitment to the total care of the patient.
The book is divided into three parts: an overview, a detailed account of operative techniques, and a review of special problems. The overview section includes a chapter on history that is especially well researched and contains some original accounts of the earliest stoma operations. Chapters on physiology and preoperative and postoperative stoma therapy are also complete and well written.
The chapters on operative technique are thorough, concise, and current enough to include a