"When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest. " WILLIAM HAZLITT (1778-1830) This is the fourth volume in a series which we started in 1997. In 1976, Varco and Delaney edited a "surgical bestseller" entitled Controversy in Surgery. This was fol lowed by a second volume in 1985. The immense success of these books among both surgical trainees and experienced surgeons, and their wide international ap peal, supported the editors' notion that a view of controversy is integral to teach ing. However, despite major advances in surgical science and practice, no other similar publication has since been put together with the objective of addressing major controversies in surgery. The aim of this series is to address such deficiency by covering the most crucial current controversies in general, vascular and trauma surgery. Since almost everything is controversial in surgery, we will be able to tackle different issues almost each year. The editors have selected a nationally/internationally recognized authority for each topic. Most books available today are either "North American:' "British-Com monwealth" or "British-European:' contributing to the constant transatlantic rival ry. Our series specifically aims to bridge this "culture gap" and includes North American, British, European, and other authors while maintaining a cohesive structure. This will hopefully also broaden the appeal of such a book across both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

1 Surgical Publishing in the Twenty-First Century

Journals Claude H. Organ Jr.
Books Jonathan L. Meakins
Publishing in the Internet Age Thomas Karger
Invited Comment - Germany Arnoud De Kemp
Invited Comment - USA Cynthia J. Laitman, Layton F. Rikkers
Invited Comment - UK John R. Farndon
Invited Comment - France Abe Fingerhut
Editorial Comment
2 Malignant Melanoma
Surgical Management: The Role of Intraoperative Lymphatic Mapping and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Douglas Tyler, Hilliard Seigler
Nonsurgical Modalities Dina Lev-Chelouche, Joseph M. Klausner
Invited Comment Charles M . Balch
Editorial Comment
3 Primary Esophageal Motility Disorders
Investigations and Nonoperative Management Hubert J. Stein, Jörg Theisen
Surgical Perspectives Robert Kalimi, Gary R . Gecelter
Invited Comment Cedric G. Bremner
Editorial Comment
4 Benign Hepatic Lesions
Investigations and Nonoperative Management Irving S. Benjamin, Sanjay Gupta
Surgical Management Jonathan Koea, Yuman Fong
Invited Comment O. James Garden
Editorial Comment
5 Cholelithiasis
Chronic Cholecystitis Samuel Eldar, Ibrahim Matter
Acute Cholecystitis Ulf Haglund, Ib Rasmussen
Invited Comment David Fromm
Editorial Comment
6 Non-Adenocarcinoma Pancreatic Tumors
Endocrine Tumors Matthias Rothmund, D. Bartsch
Cystic Tumors Claudio Bassi, Massimo Falconi, Paolo Pederzoli
Invited Comment Richard A. Prinz, Constantine V. Godellas
Editorial Comment
7 Appendicitis
Acute Appendicitis Shawn J. Pelletier, Timothy L. Pruett
Appendiceal Mass and Abscess Roger Saadia, Jeremy Lipschitz
Invited Comment Zygmunt H . Krukowski
Editorial Comment
8 Mesenteric Ischemia
Acute Mesenteric Arterial Ischemia Jon S. Thompson, Thomas G . Lynch
Acute MesentericVenous Ischemia Hannes A. Rüdiger, Pierre-Alain Clavien
Chronic Visceral Ischemia Darren B. Schneider, Louis M . Messina, Ronald J. Stoney
Ischemic Colitis Christopher T. Smith, Donald L. Kaminski
Invited Comment Michael Klyachkin, John J. Ricotta
Editorial Comment
9 Ascites
Nonoperative Management Ramón Bataller, Vicente Arroyo
The Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Procedure Gilles Pomier-Layrargues, Ziad Hassoun
Operative Management Dominique Franco
Invited Comment Sheila Sherlock
Editorial Comment
10 Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Ventilation Strategies in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Philip S. Barie
Hemodynamic Monitoring and Support David T. Harrington, William G . Cioffi
Renal Support Bashar Fahoum
The Gut Charles A. Adams Jr., Edwin A. Deitch
Ethics in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit: Medical Futility Avery B. Nathens
Invited Comment Larry M . Gentilello
Editorial Comment
11 Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
Antireflux Surgery Joaquin A. Rodriguez, Ronald A . Hinder
Invited Comment on Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery Santiago Horgan, Lloyd M. Nyhus
Thoracic Surgery Toni Hau
Invited Comment on Thoracoscopic Surgery Malek Massad, Lloyd M. Nyhus
Laparoscopic Hernia Repair Piotr J. Gorecki
Invited Comment on Laparoscopic Hernia Repair Lloyd M. Nyhus
Spleen and Adrenal Gland Emma J. Patterson, Michel Gagner
Invited Comment on Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery: Spleen and Adrenal Gland Santiago Horgan, Lloyd M . Nyhus
Bile Ducts Eli Mavor, Namir Katkhouda
Invited Comment on Laparoscopic Management of Choledocholithiasis Santiago Horgan, Lloyd M . Nyhus
Laparoscopic Vascular Surgery Yves-Marie Dion, Carlos Gracia, Hassen Ben El Kadi
Invited Comment on Endoscopic Vascular Surgery David Landau, Lloyd M. Nyhus
Invited Rebuttal Yves-Marie Dion, Carlos Gracia, Hassen Ben El Kadi
Editorial Comment
12 Vascular Trauma
Evaluation and Nonoperative Management James W. Dennis
Operative Management David A. Spain, Eddy H. Carrillo, J. David Richardson
Invited Comment Asher Hirshberg, Martin A. Schreiber
Editorial Comment
13 Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Investigations and Nonoperative Treatment I. Michael Leitman, Stephen E . Burpee
Operative Treatment Jonathan E. Efron, Steven D. Wexner
Invited Comment Hunter H. Mcguire Jr.
Editorial Comment
14 Morbid Obesity
Gastric Restrictive Operations Robert E. Brolin
Malabsorptive Procedures Nicola Scopinaro, Francesco Papadia
Invited Comment Walter J. Pories
Editorial Comment
15 Surgical Malpractice
The Surgeon's Perspective Eric R . Frykberg
The Lawyer's Perspective Seymour Boyers, Anthony H. Gair
Invited Comment Robert E . Condon
Editorial Comment.