Book Review

Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

N Engl J Med 1994; 331:338-339August 4, 1994

Article

Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology
Edited by Joseph S. Sanfilippo, with David Muram, Peter A. Lee, and John Dewhurst. 707 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994. $95. ISBN: 0-7216-3971-2

This textbook is an excellent resource for the pediatrician, gynecologist, general surgeon, or physician in adolescent or adult medicine and for other health care providers who care for children and adolescents. The format of the book facilitates its use by consultation services and provides information from internationally recognized experts in the field of pediatric and adolescent health. The organization is excellent, with sections addressing growth and development, medical problems, and surgical problems in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. Each subsection addresses the issues of greatest importance to the practicing physician.

The division of the material into medical and surgical sections allows the editors to call on many experts, but it may frustrate the clinician who wants a disease or medical problem addressed from both standpoints.

The presentation is clear and concise throughout and well documented with pertinent references. The liberal use of photographs and figures makes this an extraordinary resource for the practitioner. The section on growth and development is one of the highlights of the book. It gives an overview of each developmental abnormality and adds recent advances in the basic sciences and medical genetics to the clinical aspects.

The section on the medical problems of pediatric and adolescent gynecology is expansive. It starts with the genital examination of a pubescent girl and progresses through a chronologic discussion of abnormalities in the child and young adult. This section covers a vast array of material and at times tends to be superficial. It may be helpful for the practitioner to know when appropriate referral is indicated, but the clinician may be left at a loss if diagnosis and treatment are to be carried out without referral. The editors have done an excellent job of providing a basic overview of a diverse set of topics, but many individual chapters could give more practical detail. The section on surgical problems addresses both pediatric and adolescent patients. It does an excellent job of reviewing specific disorders, but not in discussing cases that have both medical and surgical aspects.

Because the field of pediatric and adolescent gynecology is relatively new, the liberal addition of comments by authors relating to their experience would have been helpful. The appendixes provide growth charts and tables on Tanner staging, normal laboratory values, temperature conversions, commonly used medications (including pediatric dosages), and oral contraceptive agents.

This book is a must for any pediatrician, gynecologist, physician specializing in health care for adolescents, or general surgeon seeking an overview of the field. The references will allow the clinician to gain the needed depth of information to diagnose and treat any pediatric or adolescent gynecologic disorder adequately. The editors should be commended for orchestrating a high-caliber group of authors and presenting an excellent textbook to clinicians.

Marc Laufer, M.D.
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115