Non-Invasive Management of Gynecologic Disorders PDF

Introduction

Many of us entered the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology because we believed that it uniquely lent itself to a mix of medicine and surgery. This is certainly the most common attraction to the field cited by residency applicants to our institution. But how accurate is that assessment? It certainly applies to obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine where treatment of maternal medical conditions and obstetrical surgical treatments are seamlessly integrated on a daily basis. Moreover, in obstetrics there are many alternative medical and surgical treatments for dysfunctional labor, uterine atony, pregnancy termination, and certain fetal anomalies. But can medical and surgical treatments be viewed pari passu in gynecology? Increasingly the answer is yes. This unique textbook provides ample examples of alternative medical and surgical approaches to a host of common gynecologic conditions including ectopic pregnancy, abnormal uterine bleeding, endometriosis, myomas, and urinary incontinence. Particularly timely are its chapters on uterine artery embolization and fertility preservation in patients with early and reproductive tract malignancies and in women wishing to both delay and preserve fertility for social reasons.

The editors are truly gifted clinicians and scientists. Dr Aydin Arici has authored over 150 peer review publications, has garnered multiple National Institutes of Health (NIH) and sponsored grants, and is internationally recognized as an outstanding reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) specialist. He led the REI section at Yale for many years and established it as one of the top divisions in the United States. Having sent scores of patients to him over the years, I can personally attest to his clinical prowess. Dr Emre Seli is a brilliant young reproductive scientist who is conducting landmark research into oocyte biology and maternal age-associated infertility, as well as developing novel technologies for non-invasive assessment of embryo quality. He served his residency and REI fellowship at Yale and subsequently joined the faculty while conducting an NIH sponsored research program. Emre is also a truly gifted clinician. Drs Arici and Seli have assembled an ‘All Star' cast of authors, each expert in the topics about which they write. The result is a concise, readable, and highly practicable resource. The goal of the text is to describe available medical treatments for common gynecologic conditions and compare them to surgical options using an ‘evidenced-based' approach. This novel and exciting strategy produces a ‘must read' for those interested in adding to their therapeutic armamentarium conservative treatments for many gynecologic conditions.