Diagnosis of Diseases of the Chest I. [antikvár]

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION It was stated in the Preface to the First Edition that the book was written with the aim of defining an approach to the diagnosis of diseases of the chest based on the abnormal roentgenogram and of emphasizing the value of the roentgenogram as the first rather than die major step in diagnosis. Our experience during the years since publication in 1970 has not caused us to alterthese principles. However, we wish to reiterate that the emphasis we place on the roentgenogram as the first step in reaching a diagnosis does not represent an attempt to relegate history and physical examination to a position of no importance, but merely to place them in proper perspective. We have never ceased to recognize that an intelligent integration of information from roentgenologic, clinical, laboratory, and pathologic sources is essential to the diagnosis of chest disease, and we trust that the approach we have taken in this second edition clearly illustrates that conviction. Because of the vast amount of new knowledge that has accumulated since the publication of the first edition and of a number of important omissions from the first edition, simple revision has proved impossible. It has been necessary to rewrite the book almost completely. Inevitably, its length has increased and the original two volumes have expanded to four. We have regretted this because we recognize the danger of the book's becoming purely a reference work rather than a textbook. However, we have continued to hope that the organization of the book will enable readers to be highly selective in the material they wish to read. The subdivision of virtually all descriptions of chest disease into etiology, pathogenesis, pathologic characteristics, roent-genographic manifestations, and clinical manifestations should permit readers to cull the material appropriate to their disciplines. For example, a substantial part of the research in chest disease in recent years has been concerned with pathophysiology, and we felt obliged to include much of this highly pertinent information in the text. Since such material is indicated by appropriate headings, readers can choose whether they wish to delve deeply into this aspect of any disease. The first three volumes contain the 18 major chapters of the book. Volume I includes descriptions of the normal chest, methods and techniques of investigation, clinical features and roentgenologic signs of chest diseases in general, and diseases of developmental origin. Volume II deals with the infectious diseases, immunologic disorders, neoplasms, thromboembolic disease, and pulmonary hypertension and edema. In Volume HI, we have grouped together environmental and airway diseases, abnormalities caused by external physical agents, diseases of unknown origin, and abnormalities of the pleura, medi-