Website Review: Review of Patient-Oriented Websites on Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Abstract

ERCP: The Fundamentals, 2nd edition, edited by Peter Cotton and Joseph Leung—2 recognized experts in the field—aims to provide a synopsis of the core issues surrounding the preparation for and performance of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in clinical practice today. The intended audience of the book is both practitioners and trainees in the field. Although there are more comprehensive textbooks on ERCP currently in print, ERCP: The Fundamentals, 2nd edition, takes a more concise approach and focuses on key practical issues in an easy to read format. The chapters tend to be short so as not to lose the reader in an exhaustive, overly technical literature review, and always begin with a “Key Points” section highlighting the major themes to be covered and “take home” points. The text is divided into 4 sections: Preparation, Techniques, Clinical Application, and Quality and Safety. The content of each of these sections is adequate and covers each of the salient questions facing those performing ERCP. One of the advantages of this book over similar texts is the ability to drive home key points in shorter chapters. The depth of coverage, relative to the overall length of the book, is impressive. The authors are well-recognized experts in the field and the format is uniform throughout; clearly, this text reaches its intended audience of trainees and practitioners in this field. One notable feature is that the editors are also authors of several chapters and, as such, the content and conclusions drawn in these specific chapters may be subject to more author bias (and less editorial scrutiny) than others. There are a number of useful color figures and endoscopic images throughout the text, which are of high quality, in addition to representative fluoroscopic images reproduced in black and white. The text is hard cover with standard paper used; a companion website is listed. One of the major highlights of this book is its increased focus on quality, safety, and, in particular, when not to perform ERCP. In contrast with most procedures performed in gastroenterology, which are experiencing increasing indications, the indications for the performance of ERCP are shrinking, specifically with the widespread application of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and the narrowing of indications for sphincter of Oddi manometry. All of this is occurring at a time where there is increased scrutiny by the public and payers on quality and safety in medicine. As such, the inclusion of this content in this edition of the book seems appropriate. If there were a drawback to this section, it would be that there seems to be a bit more editorial comment around “who” should be performing ERCP as well as the expected quality metrics to be collected, which may serve to incite controversy in some readers. Bottom Line: This is a well-written, easy-to-read, comprehensive yet concise text that covers the major issues surrounding the performance of ERCP in today’s clinical practice. This book is recommended for those performing ERCP looking to update themselves on the latest developments within the field as well as trainees that are seeking a broad-based overview of both the technical and clinical aspects of the procedure.