Vol. 10, No. 3,1989 BOOK REVIEWS 397

computer applications as they relate to liver transplan- tation (liver hackers?), the chapter outlining the devel- opment of an information management system for liver transplantation provides much useful information.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with more than a passing interest in liver transplantation. It is very readable, has many excellent illustrations and figures and provides the reader with an excellent overview of the different aspects of liver transplantation.

LUIS A. BALART, M.D. Ochsner Medical Institutions New Orleans, Louisiana 70121

Surgery of the Liver. Edited by W. V. McDermott, Jr., 560 pp. Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1988. $125.00.

This book is a compendium of diseases of the liver that are amenable to surgery. Chapters on hepatic phys- iology, diagnostic methods, pharmacologic treatment, sclerotherapy, emergency surgical treatment and non- shunting procedures are complete, detailed and descrip- tive. The sections on nutritional support and pediatric

liver disease are unexpected beneficial additions. In view of the book’s title, the chapters relating to surgery and surgical procedures are unusually short, and the lack of diagrams, illustrations and procedure descriptions de- tracts from them. Except for the chapters on non-shunt- ing procedures, liver transplantation and pediatric liver disease, the remainder of the book also suffers from this same lack of illustrations.

Those familiar with surgical treatment of liver disease, particularly cirrhosis and its sequelae, know that the editor is an authority with extensive experience. His comments following each chapter are not only enlight- ening, but also clearly demonstrate his personal perspec- tive of and insight into the problem discussed in the chapter.

The text is on good paper and is well laid out with clear print that is easy to read. The price of $125 is a little expensive.

Readers of this book must have a broad base of knowl- edge in the area of surgical liver disease; it is not a book for beginners.

MARTIN S. LITWIN, M.D. Tuhne University School of Medicine New Orleans, Louisiana 70112