This book has a multi-authorship which is India based. The editors have made a commendable job of ensuring continuity of style in each chapter and especially in getting the authors to adhere to the book title, in providing what is an operative manual.
The opening chapters cover the composition of the head and neck team, pre and post-operative care and medication.The bulk of 274 pages is devoted to 15 site-specific chapters, ranging from skin cancer to temporal bone malignancy. Again what sets this book apart is the emphasis on a step-wise description of each surgical procedure. Highlights here must be those on neck dissection, total laryngectomy and thyroid surgery. Bullet points take one through the anatomical staged dissection for each technique. There are introductions to the most current recent advances whether in laser or robotic surgery, intra-operative nerve monitoring (a whole chapter) or navigation systems.
There are colour illustrations throughout, nicely reproduced. With a few exceptions, imaging, whether CT or MRI, is clear, relevant and is sharply printed.
This is then a very practical and hands-on book that will appeal to trainees in any surgical speciality contributing to the management of head and neck tumours. Most importantly, it does live up to its title and, so, provides something novel, in a recipe book format. It seems very good value for its quality and content.
L Flood Middlesborough, UK
