Author Description

This guide to the surgical pathology of the colon, rectum and anus, is made up of a collection of photographs from St Mark's hospital, which specializes exclusively in diseases of this area and where it has been the practice to photograph every major surgical specimen since the 1920s. The material at the authors' disposal has enabled them to present a detailed account of the range of changes which characterizes the more common diseases such as ulcerative colitis as well as illustrating the rarer entities. Progress in pathology has been achieved by the demonstration of relationships between gross and microscopic changes and subsequently by the elucidation of the cellular or molecular basis of microscopic disease. The book attempts to highlight the histological basis of gross disease by retrieving the original material and photographing freshly prepared tissue sections. The authors concentrate on examination, dissection and description of major surgical specimens, though biopsy interpretation has not been neglected. They have not aimed to provide a comprehensive biopsy atlas, but rather to display histological material which illustrates and serves to explain nomenclature that is of importance in directing patient management. They have tried to emphasize the clinical, epidemiological or research-based relevance of pathological reporting and how specimens should be dealt with and the link between microscopic and macroscopic appearances is emphasized. It is aimed at pathologists; gastroenterologists; surgeons with a special interest in gastroenterology; candidates for the MRSPath part II and FRCS Part II.