Spoiler alert: It got a very good review.

4 stars! Score: 96

The SAGES Manual of Hernia Surgery, 2nd Edition
ISBN: 978-3319784106, 680 pages, Soft Cover
|ISBN-10: 3319784102
Edition: 2nd
Copyright: 2019

Editor: Davis, S. Scott, Jr., MD; Dakin, Gregory, MD, FACS; Bates, Andrew, MD
Specialties: Gastrointestinal Surgery , General Surgery
Publisher: Springer
Series Title: The SAGES University Masters Program Series
List Price: $109.00

Reviewer

Carol Scott-Conner, MD, PhD, MBA (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics)

Description

This volume in the SAGES University Masters Program Series is the second edition of manual on hernia repair. It is a timely contribution as well as unique because it uses, as an organizing principle, “Pathways,” a program designed to foster continuing education and mastery of techniques, indications, and complications. The previous edition was published in 2012. In addition to the rapid developments in the field of hernia repair, the integration of the innovative Pathways program amply justifies a new edition.

Purpose

The book “serves as a curriculum for participants in the Masters Program as well as a modern text on hernia surgery for all learners.” These are indeed worthy objectives which the book ably meets and exceeds. The authors and contributors are highly credible authorities in the field.

Audience

This will be used by trainees at all levels — residents and fellows — as well as practicing surgeons who wish to expand or solidify their knowledge in the field. The primary specialty served by this book is general surgery, but the book could be consulted by practitioners who might encounter hernias during the course of surgery for other indications (e.g. gynecologists, urologists, vascular surgeons).

Features

The 48 chapters begin with general concepts, including a brief introduction to the Masters Program Hernia Pathway, and then progress through fundamental considerations such characteristics of prosthetic mesh, mesh fixation, role of comorbidities, and enhanced recovery, before progressing into the anatomy and radiographic assessment of the abdominal wall. Various techniques for repair of ventral hernias ranging from robotic to open are described in lavishly illustrated and clearly written chapters. The final one-third to one-half of the book is devoted to groin hernias, paraesophageal hernias, pediatric hernias, and special problems such as hernia repair in cirrhotics.

Assessment

This is an extremely valuable and unique contribution. There is, currently, a plethora of books about hernia repair, but there is nothing like this book. The breadth of its content, the use of the Pathways Program, and the authority of the authors, as well as the quality of the writing and illustrations, place it in a class by itself.