Book excerpt: The cornerstone text on obstetrical procedures – completely updated to reflect today’s practice Since its first edition, Operative Obstetrics has provided clinicians with clear, step-by-step, detailed guidance for every major surgical procedure performed in current obstetrical practice. Emphasizing the scientific underpinnings of clinical obstetrics, this trusted classic is enhanced by more than 670 illustrations (most in full color and new to this edition), including sonograms, magnetic resonance images, photographs, and micrographs. This Third Edition has been completely updated and redesigned with a more streamlined presentation that incorporates current guidelines from respected professional and academic organizations such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much of this data is presented in newly created tables specifically designed to make the information easy to read and apply. Here’s why this is the leading text of obstetrical procedures: • Logically organized in four sections: (1) General Considerations, which includes valuable surgical basics such as needle and suture selection, knots, surgical instruments, anatomy, and incisions and closures; (2) Antepartum, which describes management of first-trimester pregnancy-related complications, fetal diagnosis and therapy, and preparation of the gravida for surgery; (3) Intrapartum, which presents complex vaginal and cesarean deliveries; and (4) Postpartum, which offers guidance on obstetrical hemorrhage, surgical complications, and puerperal sterilization • Coverage spans every aspect of operative obstetrics • Updated to include timely new material on laparoscopy, placenta accreta, fetal therapy, perioperative radiological imaging, and clinical simulation • NEW full-color surgical illustrations provide visual guidance for both simple and complex procedures