The clinicianʼs guide to inflammatory bowel diseaseBy Gary R. Lichtenstein. 336 pp. $44.95. Slack Inc., Thorofare, New Jersey, 2003. ISBN 1-55642-554-6. Web address for ordering: www.slackbooks.com

Abstract

Dr. Lichtenstein has put together a new compact book, which is meant to serve as an “up-to-date guide” to the field of inflammatory bowel disease with the primary focus for clinicians at all levels of expertise (that is practicing gastroenterologists, fellows, internists, and family practitioners). For the most part this book succeeds, albeit there is great variability in the scope of individual chapters. In addition to the standard comprehensive gastrointestinal texts, there are also currently available several texts devoted only to inflammatory bowel disease. Do we need another? Dr. Lichtenstein’s book lies somewhere between the encyclopedic standard and/or inflammatory bowel disease texts. Its great advantage is that it’s easy to carry, handy at taking up little space (which is important for fellows and house staff), and complete enough to bring the reader up to date in the field. The book starts well with a simple and succinct up-to-date 8-page review of inflammatory bowel disease epidemiology. The bibliography of this chapter is adequate and alphabetical but specific numbered references are not given. This contrasts with the next chapter, which is devoted to “imaging in inflammatory bowel disease,” which in my opinion is somewhat too long and spends too much time on endoscopy, which is not classically defined as an imaging technique. The bibliography of this chapter is excellent and numerically identified in the text. The bibliography and references vary with each chapter and some have references, some bibliographies, and some both. Bibliographies range from less than 20 in the epidemiology chapter to 103 in the disease modifier chapter. Bibliography and references ideally should be made uniform in the next edition of this text. The style of authors of individual chapters vary considerably as can be seen if one compares the section on clinical features, course, and laboratory findings in ulcerative colitis versus the one in Crohn’s disease. The former has 5 tables and uses a numerical outline (A, B, C, etc.); whereas the latter has no tables, no numerical outlines, and is purely text. I personally prefer to have some tables and figures rather than text only. For example, Dr. Lichtenstein’s and coauthors sections on the medical therapy for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis fulfill these criteria with appropriately interspersed figures and tables. Another example is the chapter on pregnancy and fertility, which is outstanding, easy to read, with informative tables and figures. The order of chapters is different from most books, in that a late chapter (16) is entitled, “Evaluation of the Patient Suspected of Having Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” It probably belongs behind chapters 3 and 4, looking at clinical features, course, and laboratory findings in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Likewise, the excellent well-written chapter 8, which is devoted to the complications of ileal pouch anal anastomosis probably belongs after chapters 11 and 12, which are entitled, “Indications for Surgery in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Surgical Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.” The final chapter is entitled, “Medical Approach to the Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease” and is repetitious, much of it having been presented in prior chapters. I would suggest that in future editions perhaps this chapter should be rewritten with a focus on current medical and surgical controversies in inflammatory bowel disease. For example, the recommendations for surveillance intervals made in the cancer and inflammatory bowel disease chapter are different than those made in figure 11-2 in the indications for surgery in IBD chapter. Overall this book has met its goal of being an up-to-date and handy clinician’s guide to inflammatory bowel disease, and for the most part is user friendly. Chapter styles and bibliography need more uniformity and a controversy section might be welcome for the large audience this clinician’s guide seeks. Bottom Line: A handy clinician’s guide to inflammatory bowel disease.