This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
Interest in gastric motility was spurred by the introduction of highly selective vagotomy 15 years ago. Editors L. M. A. Akkermans, a basic scientist, A. G. Johnson, a surgeon, and N. W. Read, an internist, have focused this interest in the fourth volume of Praeger's Surgical Science Series, which is titled Gastric and Gastroduodenal Motility. The 31 contributors to the book represent several disciplines and ten countries. Like the editors, most are British or Dutch.
The book is organized into basic science and clinical sections. The former emphasizes gastric function, particularly nervous and humoral control. The latter covers gastric emptying in disease, effects of operations, and treatment of motility disorders. Between these sections are several excellent chapters that describe methods for studying gastric function. Research workers in the field will find both theoretical and practical help with techniques of dye-dilution studies, ultrasonography, pressure measurements, and isotopic imaging.
A useful chapter