BOOK REVIEWS
Scott P. Stringer, MD, Editor
SKULL BASE SURGERY: FACIAL SURGERY
By Mack L. Cheney, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore,
1997, 1004 pp, $225.00
Facial Surgery is intended to serve two main purposes.
The first is as a single-text reference for residents and
fellows, and the second is to document the vast experi-
ence accumulated in facial plastic surgery at a single
institution, Harvard Medical School.
Almost all the chapters are written by the staff,
fellows, and residents of various departments at Har-
vard Medical School. The advantages of this approach
are uniformity of content and absence of redundancy.
The disadvantage is possible lack of diversity, but this
is offset by the judicious use of ‘‘breakout’’ articles,
which are excerpts and summaries from closely related
or ‘‘landmark’’ articles. The chapters cover the breadth
of facial plastic surgery as well as an interesting intro-
ductory chapter on the history of facial plastic surgery
at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard
Medical School. I was surprised at the absence of a
chapter on Graves’ ophthalmopathy, considering the
extensive experience with this disease at the Massa-
chusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
In general, the chapters cover the subject matter at
an adequate but not extensive level, as would be ex-
pected for a text just slightly over 1000 pages. Most of
the information is quite current, although the chapter
on melanoma fails to mention sentinel node sampling.
The art work is copious, simple, and very well done.
The photographic documentation is also quite good,
and the authors are to be commended for displaying
both excellent results and the inevitable complications
that may arise with any surgical technique. The hand-
some cover on my copy separated quickly from the bind-
ing. Typographical errors are rare, but, notably, the
chapter heading on pages 397–457 is incorrect.
Head & Neck 20: 359–360, 1998
CCC 1043-3074/98/040359–02
© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Book Reviews
In summary, I think this book meets both of its
goals. The resident and fellow will find this a readable
reference for such tasks as board examination review.
This text compares favorably with other similar com-
pendia of facial plastic surgery, as it is more current.
Experienced surgeons with specific needs may wish to
consult more-specialized reference sources.
JAMES R. JORDAN, MD
Tallahassee, Florida
THYROID DISEASE: ENDOCRINOLOGY,
SURGERY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND
RADIOTHERAPY, SECOND EDITION
Edited by: Stephen A. Falk, Lippincott-Raven, Philadel-
phia, 1997, 784 pp, $139.00
In the preface of this 768-page text, the editor states
that his goal was to produce a clinically oriented state-
of-the-art reference volume. As those who participate
in the care of patients with thyroid disease know, mani-
festations of thyroid disease are protean, and clinical
management frequently requires efforts of a generalist
and/or several subspecialists working in collaboration.
To expedite diagnosis and plan effective therapy, prac-
titioners from a wide variety of backgrounds have to
communicate effectively about the patients’ symptom-
atology and care. In this regard, it is helpful if family
practitioners, endocrinologists, otolaryngologists, car-
diologists, ophthalmologists, radiologists, radiation
therapists, et al., have a little knowledge about each of
the others’ areas of practice as it relates to thyroid dis-
ease. This book addresses the need for a comprehensive
clinically oriented text.
The work is organized into nine parts including
historical background, basic clinical sciences, hyper-
thyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis, hormonal
therapy, thyroid cancer, and surgery. New chapters on
molecular biology of the thyroid gland have been added
since the first edition. Although 13 of the authors are
otolaryngologists, all relevant subspecialty areas are
HEAD & NECK July 1998 359
represented. The reader is treated to clinically oriented
expert reviews by 67 contributors from a variety of
backgrounds ranging from anatomy and anesthesiology
to radiotherapy and surgery. Copious illustrations,
tables, graphs, conceptual diagrams, and occasional di-
agnostic and therapeutic algorithms are included. Im-
aging studies are generally of high quality.
There are 40 chapters in the book. As implied by the
part topics, many chapters are clinically oriented and
include discussion of the major clinical problems, key
concepts, recent literature, general principles and nu-
ances of diagnosis and therapy of thyroid disease. In
addition, there are chapters on anatomy, physiology,
thyroid function tests (with a separate chapter on thy-
roglobulin), imaging, pathology, anesthesia, complica-
tions of surgery (metabolic and nonmetabolic), congen-
ital diseases, and the management of special problems
such as substernal thyroid and thyroid disorders in-
volving the airway. Some of the chapters are slanted to
the author’s bias to give the reader a perspective. Al-
though this may not appeal to all readers, I found it
helpful in areas not directly related to my field. Each
chapter stands as an independent reference, with near-
complete discussion of all aspects of the topic. As such,
there is redundancy of information between the chap-
ters and occasionally conflicting information. Most
360 Book Reviews
chapters provide extensive up-to-date references for
the interested reader’s close scrutiny.
Occasional chapters drag or present redundant
and/or conflicting information without an organizing
perspective or summary, but these are the exception.
Doubtless, the reader will not have equal interest in all
the chapters, and a few of the chapters will be boring
for most readers. The informational content is meant to
serve as a comprehensive reference—the editor has
succeeded in his goal—and the particulars of the more
tedious aspects of thyroid disease will be available
whenever the reader is motivated. The information pre-
sented in subspecialty areas will be somewhat basic to
practitioners in that field but, as a work, the book is a
well-balanced, up-to-date reference with comprehen-
sive coverage of all aspects of thyroid disease. The clini-
cal orientation and comprehensive coverage of topics
related to clinical practice make it easier to read and
more worthwhile than other ‘‘definitive’’ books on the
general topic of thyroid. It is a worthwhile reference
text for the student, teacher, generalist, subspecialist,
or thyroid practitioner and is well worth the invest-
ment.
SUZANNE MASTIN, MD
Gainesville, Florida
HEAD & NECK July 1998