Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - Hardcover

Though the aetiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease) remain obscure, substantial progress has been made in the understanding of these challenging disorders since the first edition of "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases" in 1983. Scientific advances include characterization of the nature of the intestinal inflammatory reaction, delineation of the varied immunological events, and the application of numerous basic scientific disciplines (including biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology, gastrointestinal neuroendocrinology, immunology, genetics, and molecular biology) to the investigation of inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition to careful clinical observation, clinical progress includes expanding epidemiological and familial studies, documentation of the clinical complexities of inflammatory bowel disease, assessment of the cancer risk, and such therapeutic advances as improved nutritional support, the use of elemental diets in Crohn's disease, 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds in ulcerative colitis, immunosuppressive and other anti-inflammatory medications. In the surgery of inflammatory bowel diseases, total colectomy and ileoanal anastomosis is increasingly preferred for many patients with ulcerative colitis requiring operation; while in Crohn's disease the advantages and the limitations of surgery have been defined more clearly with particular emphasis on preserving as much small bowel as possible. The second edition of "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases" incorporates all of these developments and more, in a systematic and thorough account of inflammatory bowel diseases.