Preface

Editors: Shields, Thomas W.; LoCicero, Joseph; Ponn, Ronald B.; Rusch, Valerie W.

Title: General Thoracic Surgery, 6th Edition

Copyright 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

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Preface

Thirty-three years have elapsed since the first edition of General Thoracic Surgery and the sixth edition of the text. At the time of the first edition, the practice of thoracic surgery by noncardiac thoracic surgeons was near the nadir of its popularity, and its future expectations looked bleak. Scant coverage was given to it in the major thoracic texts of the time; however, as so often happens in life, the predicted dismal future has been found to be in error. At present, General Thoracic Surgery is a vibrant, growing surgical specialty. Lung transplantation and video-assisted thoracic surgery, as well as upper abdominal esophageal and diaphragmatic laparoscopic surgery, have become important aspects of our specialty. The treatment of thoracic malignancies has become more sophisticated. The interaction between medical and radiologic oncologists has become essential for the appropriate care of our cancer patients. Thus, the fundamental knowledge of these specialties is as important as our understanding of pulmonary and esophageal physiology and pathology. Anesthesia and critical care fall into the same categories.

As a result, the size of the text has increased over the years. The sixth edition continues to be divided into 30 sections and comprises a total of 197 chapters prepared by outstanding authors. We have continued our practice of giving full coverage of the cogent advances in molecular biology, radiology, critical care, and other specialties that affect the practice of general thoracic surgery. We likewise have stressed more than ever the technical aspects of our field of interest. This is especially true in the many chapters on minimally invasive thoracic surgery. The pros and cons of different management techniques have been presented, hopefully with minimal editorial bias. Moreover, the many unusual conditions that are encountered only infrequently by the practicing surgeon have been sought and recorded so that the text may serve as a ready source of information not only for the thoracic surgeon but also for members of other specialties who are interested in thoracic diseases.