In medical practice, the obstructive janudice is a commonly encountered syndrome, often seen in many clinical entities.The quite impressive number of the underlying conditions possibly producing this syndrome dissuade a separate approach of this subject either in a detailed monograph or as a distinct chapter in the textbooks of surgery. For this reason, and also having in mind an easily accessible work for most of the medical professionals, I strongly advised the authors of the present monograph to cover only a selected group of disorders that play a role in the etiology of the obstructive janudice. The authors made a worthy selection and decided on the calculous obstructive jaundice, condition developed on an underlying calculous disease of the biliary system. I assume that when selecting this very special field, the authors were motivated by the impressive challenges the surgeons have to overcome both in diagnosting and in managing their patients. Although the classic surgical means offers a large number of alternatives, on the other hand, the newly evolved laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques are very promising.
