While a surgeon many decades agotreated diseases from headtotoe, this concept has evolved, and today some degree of specialization is the rule worldwide. In many countries various boards for sub-specializations are designed, and after a broad training in general surgery, many young surgeons move on further into a specific field. Knowledge of anatomy and precise surgical technique remain the foundation of high quality surgery. A knowledgeable surgeon, equipped with excellent theore- cal and clinical skills, will only be accomplished when he or she masters the - erative techniques of the practice of surgery. The legacy of an academic surgeon or a surgical teacher relies in great part onthe transmission of his or her surgical abilities. Significant influence on the development in esophageal surgery arises from the surgical understanding of the anatomical and functional structures of the esophagus as well as the ongoing developments in the multidisciplinary m- agement in this challenging field of surgery. In bringing forth this atlas, we were motivated by the desire to create a comp- hensive and educational atlas on esophageal diseases, emphasizing all details of pathophysiologies, diagnostic strategies, pre- and postoperative management, and operative techniques covering minimally invasive and open procedures ranging fromstraightforward tomore complex procedures.
