P. Ronan O'Connell is Professor of Surgery and Consultant Surgeon at St Vincent's University Hospital since September 2007. He was previously Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Royal London Hospital (1989-1990), consultant surgeon at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (1990-2007) and Newman Clinical Research Professor at UCD (2002- 2007). In 2009 he was appointed head of the Section of Surgery and Surgical Sciences at University College Dublin. Between 2011 and 2013 he was Chairman of the South East Dublin Department of Surgery. Prof O'Connell has published widely in the areas of inflammatory bowel disease, pelvic floor physiology and continence. His research has been recognised by numerous awards including the Patey Prize of the Surgical Research Society (1985), the British Journal of Surgery Prize at the Association of Coloproctology Great Britain and Ireland (1995, 1997, 1999 and 2007), the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Research Prize (2007 and 2010) and the Physiological Society (2009). His research is currently funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Bowel Disease Research Foundation of ACPGBI, Medtronic Comporation and the EU COST collaboration.Robert D. Madoff, M.D., F.A.C.S., is Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Madoff is the holder of the Stanley M. Goldberg, MD Chair in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He is the founding director of the William C. Bernstein MD Familial Cancer Registry at the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. Dr. Madoff is Editor-in-Chief of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum and an Executive Council Member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Dr. Madoff has published over 100 academic research papers in peer-reviewed medical journals and has authored or co-authored more than 50 textbook chapters. His scientific interests

"…the editors have succeeded in their stated aim to produce a definitive contemporary textbook of operative colorectal surgery. I think a copy should be available in any hospital library where colorectal surgery is performed…"—Colorectal Disease

• General Principles. Preparation for colorectal surgery .Safety and positioning in the operating room. Access to abdominal cavity - open. Access to abdominal cavity - laparoscopic. Access to abdominal cavity - hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Single incision laparoscopic-assisted colectomy. Access to the abdominal cavity: natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. Anastomotic technique - suture. Anastomotic technique - stapled. Specimen handling. Proctology. Office/outpatient set up. Proctosigmoidoscopy. Flexible endoscopy. Treatment of uncomplicated haemorrhoids. Excision of perianal thrombosis. Open hemorrhoidectomy. Closed hemorrhoidectomy. Stapled hemorrhoidopexy. Perianal sepsis. Anal fistula. Rectovaginal fistula repair. Anal fissure. Anoplasty. Perianal condyloma and anal intraepithelial neoplasia. Perianal skin and anal cancer Pilonidal disease. Stomas. Ileostomy. Colostomy. Stoma closure. Antegrade continence enema procedure in children. Antegrade continent enema procedure in adults. Small intestine. Small bowel resection. Meckel's diverticulum. Malrotation. Intestinal stricturoplasty. Adhesiolysis. Colon. Appendicectomy - open. Appendicectomy - laparoscopic. Right colectomy - open. Right hemicolectomy - laparoscopic. Right hemicolectomy - hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Left colectomy - open. Left hemicolectomy - laparoscopic. Left hemicolectomy - hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Colectomy - complete mesocolic excision. Total colectomy - laparoscopic. Total colectomy - HALS. Hartmann's procedure. Emergency colectomy. Colonic stenting. Rectum. Anterior resection of the rectum. Anterior resection - laparoscopic . Anterior resection - hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Anterior resection - robotic. Coloanal anastomosis with intersphincteric resection and colon J-pouch construction. Proctocolectomy for inflammatory bowel disease - open. Proctocolectomy for irritable bowel disease - laparosc