Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann 2000;8:94
© 2000 Asia Publishing EXchange Pte Ltd
Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery
W Randolph Chitwood, Jr, MD
|
Greenville, North Carolina, USA
|
|
|
Edited by William S Walker, MA, FRCS, FRCS(Ed),
ISBN 1-899066-09-8 • List Price £95/US$160 • Isis Medical Media, Oxford, UK,
Dr. William Walker of the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh has produced a superb new book on video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). The book is illustrated profusely and should enlighten thoracic surgeon readers in nearly all aspects of this new field. Both color photographs and artists' renderings are very clear, illuminating intra-operative techniques superbly well. Reproductions of photographs are particularly excellent both for natural tissue color rendition and resolution. Drawings are simple, clear and relate well to the photographs and text. The text is replete with up-to-date references, adding therapeutic credibility to each procedure described. Plenty of series data are included throughout the book, and major teaching points are set aside in easy-to-read tables. For chapter authors, Dr. Walker has selected many of the best-known luminaries in the field, with a preponderance of European authors. Early chapters review in some detail the tech-nologic advances currently associated with VATS, which include intrathoracic lighting, cameras, endoscopes, monitors, and video formats. Early in the book, patient positioning, trocar management, and technologic advances in instruments are discussed in detail. The book con-centrates on a wide spectrum of predominantly noncardiac intrathoracic surgery. Individual chapters are devoted to sympathectomy, pleural disease, mediastinal lesions, pneumothorax, bullous lung disease, solitary pulmonary nodules, and major pulmonary resections. The latter chapter is the longest and most detailed of all pulmonary chapters; it is a particularly important contribution to the book. Endoscopic esophageal surgery is well covered by chapters on esophagomyotomy, the treatment of gastro-intestinal reflux, and esophagectomy. Cardiac disease is addressed in chapters on pericardiectomy, patent ductus arteriosus ligation, and port-access cardiac surgery. The latter chapter covers only one small aspect of endoscopic cardiac surgery, and this is perhaps the most limited of all sections.
Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery
is well written and the combination of credible text, profuse referencing and superb illustrations could carry it to alpine heights. This work is more than an atlas of endoscopic thoracic surgical technique; it can serve as a standard text in this area for novice thoracic surgeons, experienced consultants, and trainees alike. There are only a few areas that need improvement. As the field of endoscopic cardiac surgery has expanded rapidly, coverage of this area of thoracic surgery seems incomplete. From Dr. Walker's commentary on the final chapter, he realizes this deficit and infers that subsequent editions are likely to expand on this area of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Lastly, this book would benefit greatly from contributions from other international surgeons. Clearly, worldwide technical and investigative contributions to VATS have annealed this field to our surgical future. As we begin a new era in thoracic surgery, surgeons should read this book to see how far we have come...and yet how far we must go.
