Reconstructive Plastic Surgery: An Atlas of Essential Procedures is a great textbook. It covers a wide range of the reconstructive plastic surgery syllabus. It includes many aspects of the plastic surgery curriculum from cleft lip and palate through to vascular anomalies. The plastic surgery syllabus is so wide and varied, certainly attempting to cover most of the subjects is a difficult task, but this book does seem to achieve this.
The book is comprised of 67 chapters organised into five sections including head and neck, breast, hand, nerve compression and integument (skin). Within each chapter, they cover basic introduction, indications for surgery and operative techniques for managing these conditions encountered by plastic surgeons. The operative techniques are often accompanied by descriptive text, helpful diagrams and photographs, demonstrating key aspects of the procedures. The book also has an online video resource to support some of the operative techniques described within this textbook. Some chapters are heavily involved with different techniques, yet some are less specific and talk about general principles of management and basic fundamentals of managing conditions such as the chapters on pressure sores and sternal dehiscence.
Although this is a very good book, if I was being overly critical, I would highlight one limitation. The title of the book demonstrates that the focus is on the reconstructive aspect of plastic surgery and therefore there is not a large dedication to aesthetic surgery. However, as within plastic surgery there is often crossover between aesthetic and reconstructive techniques and within the book there is discussion and instruction on breast implants in the chapter on tuberous breast and inclusion of breast reduction within the breast reconstruction chapters.
In summary, this is a well-written book covering a wide range of the plastic surgery reconstructive syllabus. It is a great companion for any trainee / resident learning different procedures as they rotate through different sub‑specialties within the plastic surgery team.
