MANUAL ON ASSISTED REPRODUCTION 2nd edition

Edited by T Rabe, K Diedrich and T Strowitzki

Published by Springer-Verlag

ISBN 3-540-67299-0 (hardback) 665 pp, A79.00 (LJS$l29.00)

This is a second ‘updated’ edition of a text that was first produced in 1996. Although the authors claim in their preface that most of the chapters have been updated, the quality of updating varies considerably from author to author. The editors are among the most well-known practitioners of assisted conception in Europe, being based at the universities of Heidelberg and Lubeck in Germany. The most useful sections of the book reflect their own interests and those of their departments. In particular, there are authoritative updates on the use of the new class of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists in in vitro fertilisation CIVF) and in the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to obtain pregnancy for infertile males. The possible long- term consequences of IVF and ICSI are carefully explored in authoritative chapters that review the evidence to &ate that the offspring produced by these technologies are healthy. It is reassuring to read that the incidence of major malformations continues to remain in line with the expected rate from spontaneous conceptions.

Although perhaps not strictly involved in ‘assisted conception‘, the chapters on surgical approaches to

congenital abnormalities and endoscopic and microsurgical approaches to hlbal disease are similarly informative and broaden the appeal of this text.

Almost half the book is taken up by a consideration of the basic sciences involved in sperm and oocyte biology and IVF. I found these sections less satisfactory; many of them have clearly not been altered much, if at all, since 1996 and the references are frequently out of date. Much progress has been made in these areas over the last four years but this progress is not reflected by the text provided. Furthermore, a glaring omission is any serious attention to counselling of couples undergoing assisted conception treatments or to the management of psychological problems arising from the pressures of infertility and assisted conception treatment. The UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority rightly places great emphasis on these aspects of treatment and I am surprised that the editors have not decided to include reviews in this area.

A number of other textbooks of IVF have k e n produced over the last few years and they produce interesting contrasts. This text reflects n iady the continental European experience and not all the authors present ideas that would be widely accepted within LJK practice. However, the book would be useful to those coming fresh to the subspeciality and might usefully be read by general obstetricians and gynaecologists, paediatricians, physicians and others with an interest in the product of IVF clinics. One would hope that a third edition would be more widely updated.

Reviewed by W L Ledger, Professor and Head of Section, Section of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Division of Clinical Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Jessop Hospital for Women, Leavygreave Road, Sheffield S3 7RE, UK

NORMAL VALUES IN PREGNANCY 2nd edition

Edited by Margaret Ramsey, WK Jarnes, PJ Steer, CP Weiner and B Gonik

Published by WB Saunders ISBN 0702020275 (paperback) 208 pp, L22.95

This book is produced in a convenient book-binder, pocket-size format. It is divided into normal values in pregnancy for both maternal and fetal indices.

This is a ‘reference’ book that is designed to complement the text High R&k Pregnancy: Management Options (2nd edition) and is produced by a group of maternal fetal medicine subspecialists in the UK and USA.

Each of the graphs/tables is clearly reproduced. with arrow bars showing the scatter around the median or mean value. Below each grapWtable there are comment boxes whch are informative and helpful.

All of the units are expressed in both SI and non-SI units of measurement, which is helpful (for both UK and US use). These data represent the profound changes that occur in both maternal and fetal physiology and metabolism and span physical, biochemical, hormonal and haematological measurements. There is also a comprehensive section on fetal ultrasound measurements (both biometric and Doppler ultrasound).

The appeal of this book will probably be a5 a departmental reference and, as such, it will probably not sell in large amounts. However, I believe that it serves a useful purpose and should be commended.

Reviewed by Mark Kilby, Consultant/Clinical Reader in Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Fetal Medicine, Birmingham Women’s Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TG, UK

The Obstetrician G Gynaecologist July 2001 Vol. 3 No. 3 Item

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