CRC ENDOCRINE SURG PDF

Preface

We offer an exposition of the current status of surgical care in the management of endocrine disorders. Endocrine Surgery includes a summary of present and evolving approaches to surgery of the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas. The text is comprehensive but not exhaustive, emphasizing practical approaches. Contributors with great experience have been encouraged to present logical differences in viewpoint, as well as controversies and alternative approaches to the management of problems. New diagnostic and therapeutic methods are brought to the attention of the reader. Operative techniques are presented and illustrated in detail.

The expanded understanding of endocrine disease, the increasing availability of sophisticated diagnostic methods, and the development of innovative surgical techniques, have changed the landscape of the management of endocrine disorders, profoundly influencing the practice of surgical endocrinology. Diagnostic capability expands at an exponential rate. The body is becoming virtually transparent as new x-ray imaging methods, radioisotope scanning, and ultrasound evolve rapidly. These techniques are presented, discussed, and illustrated.

New developments in surgery are stunning. Intraoperative hormone assays make it possible to confirm success while the patient is still on the operating table. Robotic surgery, made feasible by advanced computer capabilities and instant communication techniques, offers operative expertise at a great distance, and also constitutes a huge resource for surgical training. Small endoscopic instruments with intrinsic cameras can visualize almost any part of the body, giving surgeons access to nearly every organ, and in addition, to virtual spaces such as the hands, neck, retroperitoneal area, subcutaneous and intramuscular planes. The surgery can be executed through minimally invasive portals while the procedure is monitored on a television screen in real time.

Endocrine Surgery brings together the expertise of many authorities in their fields. It provides a perspective on present treatment and new developments. A practical summary of diagnostic methods, choices of management, and surgical techniques is offered that we hope will be helpful to those involved in the management of endocrine disorders.