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Edited by S. R. Kopvac and C. W. Zimmerman, 384 pp (includes DVD-ROM), $149.
Philadelphia, Pa, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007.
ISBN-13 978-0-7817-6235-9.

JAMA. 2007;297:2142-2143.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Vaginal surgery is a skill distinctive to the gynecologic surgeon, with a tradition that dates back nearly 2 centuries. Proficiency in the performance of vaginal hysterectomy and basic pelvic reconstructive procedures is a fundamental component of gynecologic residency training. By most accounts, vaginal hysterectomy is associated with the fastest recovery, lowest morbidity, and lowest cost of all hysterectomy procedures, yet nearly 75% of all hysterectomy procedures in the United States are performed via the abdominal route. Moreover, marketers of laparoscopic instrumentation have tacitly fostered a belief that bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy cannot be accomplished at the time of vaginal hysterectomy without laparoscopic assistance (despite longer operating times, additional costs, and higher complication rates associated with laparoscopic-assisted and total laparoscopic hysterectomy.) In this atmosphere of ambiguity and industry-inspired gimmickry, I approached this book by Robert Kovac and Carl Zimmerman with curious interest.

The authors themselves are veteran gynecologic surgeons with a distinguished history . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Robert P. Kauffman, MD, Reviewer
Department of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Amarillo
robert.kauffman@ttuhsc.edu