Few clinical disciplines have been transformed so dramatically by advancements in science and technology as gastrointestinal surgery. To begin with, modern ph- macology has virtually eliminated some kinds of surgery altogether. If one were to take a peek at a typical operating room schedule in a busy hospital of the 1960s, gastrectomies of one kind or another would have constituted a large block of the major surgeries. The advent of effective H2-histamine receptor antagonists and, more + + recently, the H ,K -ATPase (proton pump) inhibitors led to a precipitous decline in those procedures such that they are rarely performed today. Exciting new approaches to treating inflammatory bowel diseases and their complications—such as fistulas— with anticytokine therapy may one day have a similarly profound effect on surgery for this condition as well. Beyond pharmaceutics, advances in imaging techniques have greatly facilitated the identification and characterization of pathology in the gastrointestinal tract in a way that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. Just to visualize the pancreas in some way was a horrendous task until abdominal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or computer tomography made it simple. The fact that the gut is a hollow organ that can be accessed through the mouth, anus, or even through the wall of the abdomen has been fully exploited with fiberoptic endoscopes that can bend around corners with ease and permit surgery to be conducted through them.

Gastrointestinal motility has evolved from an esoteric laboratory tool into a sophisti cated diagnostic technique that is now widely used clinically to guide in management of complex gastrointestinal problems. Today, it is the most rapidly growing subspecialty within gastroenterology. Previously, many of the gastrointestinal motility problems were either ignored or attributed to a disturbance of "psyche." But with the growing knowledge and understanding of how a dysfunction of the gastrointestinal muscle and nerves can cause disease, we are at the threshold of a revolution in our approach to the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders. The purpose of this book is to serve as a useful, up-to-date reference manual and guide for the diagnostic and therapeutic approach towards common adult and pediatric gastrointestinal motility problems. In order to enhance the understanding of these disor ders, a problem-oriented approach has been chosen, and wherever possible the authors have provided clinical case scenarios to illustrate their message. The emphasis has been on how to diagnose and treat motility disorders rather than to provide an encyclopedic infor mation. The reference list at the end of each chapter should enable the enthusiast to seek further information. Some of the material presented in this book has been derived from the proceedings of the annual University ofIowa College of Medicine GI Motility Symposia.

​This book describes the causes and clinical management of functional gastrointestinal disorders in a readily understandable way, with the aid of many clear illustrations. The concrete and practical advice provided will be most helpful in the clinical practice of both the general practitioner and the medical specialist. Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, functional dyspepsia, and irritable bowel syndrome, are very common and chronic conditions. Despite the recent publication of many scientific papers on their diagnosis and treatment, much remains unclear, and management is still considered challenging. This practice-oriented book will be an ideal source of reliable up-to-date guidance for all who care for these patients.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

The accompanying disc contains the complete text and illustrations of the book in fully searchable PDF files.

Knowledge concerning oesophageal pathophysiology has until recently lagged far behind that of the pathophysiology of other portions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for reasons that still remain unclear. Yet, it is the fact that, at least until the last few decades, interest in the oesophagus was primarily based on pathologic anatomy. Even today, much remains to be learnt on the pathophysiology of oesophageal disease. The recent development of methods of studying both morphology and function of the oesophagus has resulted in a better understanding of normal and abnormal oesophageal patterns with a corresponding improvement in treatment, which is now physiologically, rather than anatomically based. As customary, the World OESO Congresses are planned to provide each time a thorough analysis of a specific topic in oesophageal disease. The 8th World Congress of OESO was devoted to the Foregut: Function and Dysfunction to emphasise the complex interaction between the oesophagus and the other portions of the upper GI tract, either in maintaining physiological function or in triggering oesophageal disease. The choice is a timely one because recent investigations have allowed new insights into the pathophysiology of these complex interactions to be gained. It is indeed becoming clear that there are intriguing pathophysiological abnormalities that account for upper GI symptoms and that more targeted therapy is needed to address the unmet clinical needs. Within this framework, specific sessions were devoted to disorders of secretion, of motility as well as of nutrition with a special emphasis on recent advances. Unlike some of the other publications, this volume does not merely represent the proceedings of an International Congress. With its now established and successful format, it collects the answers to 130 key questions, offered by 110 basic scientists and clinicians the world over, all of whom have personally contributed to the topic, in order to provide a glimpse of what may lie ahead. The easy-to-read format will allow the practising and busy physician to keep up efficiently with advances in diagnosis and therapy in this rapidly evolving field.

Both upper and lower gastrointestinal physiology have come of age, both in the extent of their use in clinical medicine and in the training of technicians and nurse practitioners to undertake physiological assessment. This title covers both the technical and clinical aspects of the subject.

Biomechanics of the Gastrointestinal Tract is an up-to-date book for researchers on the study of the mechanical properties and the motor system of the gastrointestinal tract. A well-illustrated book, it provides a comprehensive overview to relevant tissue geometry, morphology and biomechanical theory. Separate chapters cover smooth muscle and nerve function including the application to animal and human studies of motility, symptoms and pain, determination of the true resting state, history-dependent properties, and tissue remodelling in disease. Several methods and diagnostic applications such as determination of in vivo length-tension diagrams and multimodal pain testing are completely new but will undoubtedly be used by many in the future. New non-invasive imaging techniques based on ultrasound, MR- and CT-scanning in combination with balloon distension are emerging as the techniques for future in vivo studies.