Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

Historically, the surgical management of chronic pancreatitis has been characterized by the rather frequent introduction of new therapeutic interventions, many of which have attracted their advocates. However, none of them has enjoyed wide acceptance by the surgical community. In this issue of Current Problems in Surgery Dr. Jeffrey B. Matthews and his colleagues at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, have written an outstanding monograph, titled “Chronic Pancreatitis: Recent Advances and Ongoing Challenges.” The thoroughness of this document is impressive, including the text, the illustrations and the bibliography. The authors begin by defining the classifications, risk factors, and natural history of chronic pancreatitis but devote most of the monograph to descriptions of the various interventional approaches to the patient with chronic pancreatitis. This treatise will provide an excellent reference to physicians and surgeons in all branches of medicine and at all levels of training, who wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of this difficult and challenging disease.