Concise Paediatric and Adolescent Hepatology

BOOK REVIEWS

DOI:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02752.x

Concise Paediatric and Adolescent Hepatology. Edited byDhawan A. Karger AS, Basel, 2012. Hard cover, X + 264pp., 36 fig., 6 in colour, 34 tab. List price € 165, $US 233.2012. ISBN: 978 3 8055 9829 3

Professor Anil Dhawan, Institute of liver studies, King’s Col-lege, London, UK, has edited a new textbook on hepatology,as part of the series Paediatric and adolescent medicine. Asrightly pointed out in the editor’s preface, paediatric hepa-tology is by now an established subspecialty. This has beenaccomplished during the last decades thanks to remarkableadvancements within the areas of molecular biology andvirology, as well as the focused development of surgical andpharmacological treatment. The successful improvement ofsurvival in all patients groups with severe paediatric liverdisease has also prompted the authors to add importantaspects on the adolescent patient as well as transition toadult services.

This compact book consists of 16 chapters in just over250 pages. All chapters are written by highly qualifiedexperts in the field, just over half of them working atKing’s College, which is clearly one of the leading centresin the world. Each chapter has a list of up-to-date refer-ences, in many cases from as late as 2010. The 16 chapterscover most but obviously not all aspects of paediatric hep-atology, from an excellent first chapter on psychologicalissues to that of liver cell transplantation and the excitingfuture at the end.

Contrary to other reviews or textbooks, infantile cholesta-sis is not described in a separate chapter, but rather in threeconsecutive ones, on progressive familial intrahepatic cho-lestasis, biliary atresia and Alagille syndrome, respectively.The advantage is that each author can go into depth in theirspecialized field. However, the possible disadvantage is thatthere is, for example, no clear description on what diagnos-tic procedures should be performed when a cholestaticinfant presents.

The chapter on immune deficiency-related liver diseaseincludes important and partially new knowledge, compiled

in a very clear manner, despite the complexity of theseissues. On the same note, the description of various forms ofnoncirrhotic portal hypertension in a separate chapter isattractive. This chapter also includes a clear-cut descriptionof the management of variceal bleedings. However, as this isdescribed in children with portal hypertension without cir-rhosis, the complex issues of coagulopathy in chronic liverdisease is not so thoroughly discussed.

Metabolic liver diseases are described in the importantchapter on acute liver failure as well as in separate and thor-ough chapters on Wilson disease and nonalcoholic fattyliver disease, respectively. However, there is no informationon some of the other important metabolic liver diseases, suchas glycogen storage disease or a-1-antitrypsin deficiency.

There are two well-written chapters on infectious (viraland nonviral) causes of liver disease and another well illus-trated one on liver malignancies. This is followed by the twolongest parts in the book, that is, one on intestinal fail-ure ⁄ parenteral nutrition-induced liver disease and one onliver transplantation, both of them well written and clini-cally useful. The subject index at the end of the book seemscomprehensive and is easy to use.

In conclusion, this book fills many important gaps ofknowledge. It can be used as a text book not only by train-ees but also by specialists in paediatric gastroenterol-ogy ⁄ hepatology and should in fact be made available to allpaediatricians. The editor and all participating authors areto be congratulated on their achievement.

Bjorn Fischlerbjorn.fischler@karolinska.se

DOI:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02755.x

Inborn Metabolic Diseases: Diagnosis and Treatment, 5thedn. Edited by Saudubray J-M, van den Berghe G, WalterJH.Springer-Verlag, Berlin and Heidelberg, 2012. 656 pp,Hard cover, 97 tables, 87 b ⁄ w illus. List price $US 179.ISBN: 9783642157196

Acta Pædiatrica ISSN 0803–5253

1000 ª2012 The Author/Acta Pædiatrica ª2012 Foundation Acta Pædiatrica 2012 101, pp. 1000–1001