Alimentary Tract Roentgenology.

Abstract

In the six years since Margulis and Burhenne's Alimentary Tract Roentgenology was first printed, it has established itself as a basic reference for all practicing radiologists, radiology residents and other physicians involved in the diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. During this interval new techniques and new concepts have been developed, new insights into the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disease have been formed, and the role of the radiologist in the diagnosis and overall management of gastrointestinal disease has substantially expanded. These changes are reflected in the second edition of Alimentary Tract Roentgenology which became available in the fall of 1973. The new text is approximately 500 pages longer, the number of illustrations is more than double while avoiding duplication of content, and the index has been expanded from 15 to 42 pages, greatly enhancing the usefulness of the text as a rapid reference source. Two new chapters on physiology provide clear, concise, and up-to-date information on the normal mechanisms involved in digestion and absorption. Emphasis on the radiographic correlation with pathophysiology is initiated here and continued throughout much of the new material. Sections dealing with pathology have now been integrated into each separate anatomical division, thereby increasing its exposure and utilization, while serving to emphasize the close relationship that must exist between the two diagnostic methods. New chapters dealing with abdominal trauma and motility disorders of the esophagus fill a void which had detracted from the overall value of the first edition. The chapter on colonic polyps has been brought up-to-date with a concise discussion of the polyposis syndromes. A major addition to the section on the liver and biliary tract is Arthur Clemett's new chapter, in which he uniquely combines cholangiography, arteriography and portography, isotope scanning, barium contrast and plain film studies to clearly portray a host of congenital, inflammatory, vascular, and neoplastic abnormalities of the liver and biliary tree. Burhenne's chapter on the biliary tract includes a discussion on the removal of retained common duct stones, a technique of immense clinical value. Its recognition and inclusion in this text will assist greatly in the widespread application of this exciting technique. The increased use of arteriography in the abdomen is reflected in the expanded chapter devoted to this topic. The illustrations are excellent and the bibliography is current. In summary, this new edition of Alimentary Tract Roentgenology has substantially increased in value over the original text as an inclusive reference work on the radiology of gastrointestinal disease. It belongs in every radiologist's library.