Foreword

Gateways to Vascular Surgery, edited by Drs. Sarac and Kashyap, is a remarkable atlas of surgical operations. It is meant to be a companion to Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations. The first edition of the atlas was conceived and developed by two giants in the world of surgery, Elliot Carr Cutler, MD, Mosely Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Surgeon-in-Chief at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (PBBH), and Ohio State’s Robert M. Zollinger, Sr., MD. Zollinger received his BA and MD at Ohio State before joining Cutler first at University Hospitals, Cleveland, and then the PBBH. Zollinger served as chief resident and then as Chief of Surgery for the PBBH Harvard 5th General Hospital in World War II. Following the premature death of Cutler in 1947, Zollinger returned to Ohio to serve as chair of the Department of Surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine from 1947 to 1974.

The idea for the atlas was born from a student surgical course that Cutler and Zollinger developed together, in which Harvard medical students would rotate through various surgical duties as they performed basic surgical procedures and techniques on dogs. The two conceived a text with illustrations of common operations for general surgeons in training and in practice. From its inception, the authors determined that medical illustration would play an important role in the atlas and serve as a visual guide to the procedures. The first edition was organized in an oversized folio format which allowed paragraphs of text on the left-side page and a full page of multiple surgical illustrations on the right-side page. This way, text and the illustrations from the surgeon’s point of view could be viewed simultaneously.

Over the years, the table of contents grew to include many surgical procedures as they became refined and accepted. The first vascular operations were introduced in the 1967 third edition Volume 2, with Resection of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. This text introduced advanced surgical procedures which today form the basis of many surgical specialties. Since then, new vascular procedures, when proven and established, were added. The 11th edition included 161 chapters, including 19 chapters covering essential information concerning vascular surgery. In discussion with Dr. Sarac, it was clear that there was much more material to include than would fit into the Zollinger Atlas. Hence, a specialized vascular atlas was developed using the trademark organization and underpinnings that have made the Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations the go-to guide for surgical procedures.

Drs. Sarac and Kashyap have assembled an exceptional group of vascular surgeons as contributors to this essential atlas of vascular surgery. Included are 77 chapters divided into 14 sections. This atlas is appropriate for the trainee as well as the practicing vascular surgeon. For trainees, introduction to surgical dissection of arteries and the appropriate use of vascular clamps as well as how to perform an endarterectomy and vascular anastomoses are provided. A description of the basic concepts in endovascular surgery is essential. In addition, excellent descriptions of exposure are provided. For the practicing vascular surgeon, the content is comprehensive, providing clear and well-illustrated descriptions of open and endovascular techniques. We think that this is an outstanding companion to Zollinger’s Atlas of Surgical Operations.