In medical practice, obstructive jaundice is a commonly encountered syndrome, often seen in many clinical entities. The quite impressive number of underlying conditions possibly producing this syndrome dissuades a separate approach to this subject either in a detailed monograph or as a distinct chapter in surgery textbooks.

For this reason, and also keeping in mind the need for an easily accessible work for most medical professionals, the authors of the present monograph have covered only a selected group of disorders that play a role in the etiology of obstructive jaundice. The authors made a worthy selection and focused on calculous obstructive jaundice, a condition developed from an underlying calculous disease of the biliary system.

It is assumed that when selecting this very special field, the authors were motivated by the impressive challenges that surgeons must overcome both in diagnosing and managing their patients. Although classic surgical means offer a large number of alternatives, the newly evolved laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques are very promising.