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The focus of this book is on the normal postoperative appearance of
the gastrointestinal tract and the abnormalities specific to various
surgical techniques. The authors have generally avoided the topics of
abscesses, leaks, and other fluid collections unless specific attention
was warranted. The imaging of recurrent neoplasm was also not
included unless rather unique imaging characteristics were involved.
The problem of recurrent Crohn’s disease was, however, included
because of the controversies regarding its clinical and radiographic features.
Organ transplantation was not addressed because such procedures
are performed and followed at only a few centers.
Over the last two decades the number of routine upper and lower
gastrointestinal examinations has markedly decreased. More and more,
the focus of conventional barium studies has shifted to the examination
of the postoperative patient. The last text dedicated to the postoperative
appearance of the gastrointestinal tract was published more
than 30 years ago, prior to the advent of computerized tomographic
and magnetic resonance imaging. Although a few review articles and
several chapters in major radiology textbooks have dealt with this
subject, we felt there was a need for a more comprehensive approach.
Our experience in teaching many residents has led us to realize that
a knowledge of the surgical procedures themselves was at the heart of
radiological comprehension, hence the emphasis on the basic principles
of surgical technique in the chapters that follow. The line drawings
that accompany the text were simplified to emphasize the
anatomy and are not meant to be precise renditions of the actual
surgical technique. |
