Thoroughly updated for its Fourth Edition, this classic two-volume work provides encyclopedic coverage of contemporary clinical gastroenterology. In 162 chapters written by leading authorities, the text reviews clinically relevant basic science, presents practical approaches to common symptoms, discusses the entire spectrum of diseases, and describes all diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available today. Complementing the text are 2,000 illustrations.

This edition has a new Associate Editor, Neil Kaplowitz, MD, who is a noted hepatologist. More than 30 new chapters focus specifically on liver disease and the liver is incorporated into other chapters where appropriate. Also included are new chapters on alternative medicine, approaches to the patient with obesity, visceral sensory pathways, and economics of diagnosis and treatment. More than 30 percent of the contributors are new to this edition.