Gastrointestinal Polyps

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Pathology can be classified by a number of different systems of which the most common are process (e.g. inflammation, neoplasia, etc.) or site (e.g. cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, etc.). This textbook is interesting because the material contained within the book has been selected to relate to what is primarily an endoscopic appearance, namely polyps within the gastrointestinal tract. When I first picked up the book I thought that this theme was rather contrived, but on further reading I began to understand the reasoning behind it and came to realize that it was an excellent way of gathering together important information that is not always available in this format in more generic textbooks of gastrointestinal pathology. The textbook follows a logical sequence through the gastrointestinal tract from the oesophagus through to the anus. In each section all the pathologies which could cause a polypoid appearance are considered - from congenital malformations, through inflammatory and infective conditions, to benign and finally malignant tumours, The way that the material is presented gives a very clear idea of the differential diagnosis of a polyp at any particular site within the gastrointestinal tract. The book is copiously illustrated with colour illustrations which include many endoscopic images to provide correlation with the pathological findings. The quality of the colour illustrations is for the most part good but there is the recurring problem of shadowing toward the edges of low-power views of slides that plagues all such images. The accompanying text is of high-quality as would be expected with authors of this pedigree. There is a useful chapter on the sampling and processing of polyps with some excellent diagrams. The chapter by Professor Neil Shepard on polyposis syndromes is a very valuable exercise in integration of diagnostic and histopathology and molecular genetics. Gastrointestinal pathology makes up a large part of the general h I suspect that to the vast majority of gastrointestinal histopathologists, and probably to general histopathologists and endoscopists too, the idea of a book devoted solely to gastrointestinal polyps is appealing. After all. most endoscopists see such lesions every day and most pathologists will see at least one a week. Often a verdict of "hyperplastic" or "inflammatory" polyp is the best that can be offered but this diagnosis is not very satisfying for pathologist and clinician alike. Consequently, it was with eager anticipation and in the hope of transforming my approach to gastrointestinal polyps that I started to read this book. As luck would have it, the slides for the EQA in gastrointestinal pathology had landed on my desk the previous day. They included at least two dificult polypoid lesions for which a diagnosis was currently eluding me. I thought that this book would be an ideal reference and turned to it for help. I was pleasantly surprised when the answer to my conundrum was available within minutes. A little while later I was approached by one of my SHOs with a question on the genetics of juvenile polyposis. After a short consultation of the book, I was able to give the answer confidently : no need for Internet searches this time. This book is the first to my knowledge that deals solely with gastrointestinal polyps. It covers all regions of the gastrointestinal tract and is abundantly illustrated with endoscopic photographs and colour photomicrographs. For each type of polyp, descriptions of prevalence, endoscopic appearances and pathological features are given, followed by discussion of biological behaviour and associated conditions. For some types of polyp, details of management strategies are also provided. All the authors are well known gastrointestinal pathologists with a wealth of experience in this field, so it is not surprising that they have managed to put together such a comprehensive text. I could not think of any entities the.