Book Review

Surgery of the Newborn

N Engl J Med 1995; 333:951October 5, 1995

Article

Surgery of the Newborn
Edited by Neill V. Freeman, David M. Burge, Mervyn Griffiths, and P.S.J. Malone. 824 pp., illustrated. New York, Churchill Livingstone, 1994. $165. ISBN: 0-443-04346-9

This comprehensive textbook contains 62 chapters written by 80 authors, most of whom are British. There are seven sections. The introduction covers the general care of the neonate, prenatal diagnosis and treatment, and the ethics of not treating infants who have seemingly hopeless conditions. The remaining sections cover specific areas: the gastrointestinal system, the abdominal wall and diaphragm, the head and neck, tumors and twins, the nervous system, and the genitourinary system. The chapter on prenatal diagnosis is helpful, because malformations that can be identified by ultrasonography are listed in tables, along with references to publications that give the incidence of associated anomalies and chromosomal aberrations.

The chapters vary in format and comprehensiveness. Some are encyclopedic, whereas others are too brief. Most, such as those on intestinal anomalies, biliary atresia, and urologic and intersex anomalies, make easy and compelling reading. They cover the subject from the historical to the current perspective, provide excellent illustrations, and conclude with thorough bibliographies. In contrast, other chapters do not take a “how to do it” approach. For example, the one on neonatal rectal bleeding refers to the Apt test without mentioning how the test is done, and it refers to yersinia and campylobacter infections of the bowel without describing the special culture techniques required. Hemangioma is one of the most common lesions found in infancy, but there is insufficient attention to its nomenclature, its natural history, and the new treatment of life-threatening hemangioma with interferon alfa. Macroglossia is covered briefly, but with no description of the surgical methods of treatment. Constipation is a rather common reason for referral to pediatric surgeons, but it is not discussed in this book. The 21-page index allows quick reference.

This excellent book can be recommended to medical students, pediatricians, and surgeons. However, few topics in pediatric surgery are so unique to newborns that a special textbook on this age group is required. The same information is readily available elsewhere, and those on limited budgets might better spend their money on textbooks that cover a wider range of ages.

Alfred de Lorimier, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143