Without doubt this represents the endourological bible for the urological fraternity and unquestionably reflects a labour of love for its authors. At approximately 1900 pages it is no pocket book of modern urology, and whilst clearly encyclopaedic in its content, it has the comfortable feel of an eminently approachable friend and mentor. It is not just a book about stones; it is a book about modern urology.
The text does cover those predictable aspects of stone management but supplements the topics with balanced discussions relating to positioning, anaesthetics and imaging, etc. Specific considerations of management issues that arise with the transplanted kidney, stones in urinary diversions and congenital anomalies are discussed with the same degree of authority and confidence. The management of these somewhat more esoteric scenarios are probably what you’d expect but it helps to have someone else present the cogent argument for respective interventions with the appropriate evidence base.
There is enough basic science to keep the purists happy, but nothing that is gratuitously detailed or that borders on the irrelevant. The chapter relating to the management of stones in pregnancy is less didactic than some comparable texts but the conclusions are sensible and convincing. Others, which deal with aspects of residual fragments, are particularly useful and well referenced.
Perhaps the greatest surprise (to me at least) is the comprehensive array of chapters relating to the gamut of laparoscopic and robotic surgery. I’m still not decided whether combining the laparoscopic and robotic approaches to a particular organ worked particularly well but clearly there are very many common themes to each. The content relating to surgical interventions on the lower urinary tract are on the whole excellent and the chapters relating to incontinence were particularly well received (at least by me) and I am sure many will be pleased by the distinct and tangible lack of the usual prevarication which normally accompanies these chapters in longer and more dedicated texts.
It is clearly a book for those who do and less so for those who talk. I would recommend it unreservedly.
