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Surgery: A Case Based Clinical Review

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A Case Based Clinical Review provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of surgical diseases in one easy to use reference that combines multiple teaching formats. The book begins using a case based approach. The cases presented cover the diseases most commonly encountered on a surgical rotation. The cases are designed to provide the reader with the classic findings on history and physical examination. The case presentation is followed by a series of short questions and answers, designed to provide further understanding of the important aspects of the history, physical examination, differential diagnosis, diagnostic work-up and management, as well as questions that may arise on surgical rounds. Key figures and tables visually reinforce the important elements of the disease process. A brief algorithmic flow chart is provided so the reader can quickly understand the optimal management approach. Two additional special sections further strengthen the student's comprehension. The first section covers areas of controversy in the diagnosis or management of each disease, and another section discusses pitfalls to avoid, where the inexperienced clinician might get in trouble. The text concludes with a series of multiple choice questions in a surgery shelf/USMLE format with robust explanations. A Case Based Clinical Review is based on 20 years of Socratic medical student teaching by a nine-time Golden Apple teaching awardee from the UCLA School of Medicine and will be of great utility for medical students when they rotate on surgery, interns, physician assistant students, nursing students and nurse practitioner students.

689 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2014

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5 stars
46 (57%)
4 stars
23 (28%)
3 stars
9 (11%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
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2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
8 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2021
Fantastic book. Reads smoother than cherry Dr. Pepper. The reasoning behind every sentence just flows and you don't have the opportunity to get lost because the text is effortlessly guiding your mind.

That being said, not everyone has the luxury to read 700 pages on their surgery rotation in addition to doing all the Uworld Qs and NBMEs. The cream of this crop is the chapter summaries and the flowcharts. If you find yourself with time, this is the next best resource after uworld and amboss IMO. But it is not a replacement.
Profile Image for Rahaf Qudah.
152 reviews42 followers
June 23, 2020
my favourite book after 6 years of medschool.

concise, easy to read, and it surely knows how to motivate one to learn the basics of general surgery.

2nd edition is even more organised, with quizzes and beautiful colourful divisions.
Profile Image for Nadia Safar.
65 reviews
June 11, 2023
im telling you I will be completing this year's reading challenge at any cost.
Profile Image for Dustin.
120 reviews
March 19, 2019
This is an AMAZING text. The organization is superb and consistent. The writing is clear. Terms are constantly defined. Cases are used to introduce points and then referenced in a direct way throughout each section. These sections can be read independently. I cannot imagine a better text to learn the fundamentals on my surgery clerkship. Fantastic.
Profile Image for Salvatore Daddario.
64 reviews5 followers
March 19, 2022
Ok this is actually a reall great textbook!

I've only read a few textbooks cover to cover, and this is definitely a favorite. The chapters are short, high-yield, and quick to read. I find myself asking a question, and then it is answered in the next paragraph. MUST READ for the surgery shelf!!!

(have to log this because it's the only way I'm ever gonna hit my 2022 reading goal lol)
64 reviews
May 8, 2019
So easy to read and retain. Asks a lot of high yield questions with in depth answers. Highly recommend. Downside: sometimes too fluffy with low yield questions. Also it’s a lot to get through during a busy rotation.
12 reviews
August 25, 2022
Easily the best text book I’ve read in medical school. It’s so good I had to review it here.

Read through it at least three times over the past three months and not one detail felt superfluous. I’ll look forward to revisiting this book again in the future.
Profile Image for Kevin.
83 reviews6 followers
July 24, 2024
Holy smokes this “surgical” book is soooo well written with the explanation on pathophysiology that I am reading this for internal medicine. Right up there with Lilys Pathophysiology of Heart Disease as the best text I’ve come across
75 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2025
Who is gonna read this Goodreads review of my surgery textbook but it's like 3.5 stars I guess. Each chapter is short and easy to get through. Not the most comprehensive, but touches on a lot of the heavy hitters.
Profile Image for Madeleine Marlar-Pavey.
152 reviews11 followers
May 26, 2025
An excellent review of surgical cases, with the internal medicine information necessary to succeed on the NBME surgery shelf exam. I didn’t read every single case but I read most of them and they were all fantastic!
35 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2019
Great review of the shelf material, wish I had had it in my surgical clerkship!
Profile Image for Caroline.
19 reviews
April 23, 2022
The only book I’ve been able to read this semester 🙃 but also a remarkably good textbook covering complex information at an appropriate level for medical students ♥️
Profile Image for Aazrin.
32 reviews
September 26, 2023
this book got me a top 20th percentile surgery shelf score so i have decided it counts on goodreads <3
Profile Image for Brood Tinirad.
7 reviews
February 16, 2016
Enjoyed the book, and thought it contained some great information. Really like the case-based books as they make it easier for leisurely reading. Not 5 stars because I wish it contained more pictures, and it would of been nice to have the review questions after each chapter, and not at the end of the book.
Profile Image for Jason Li.
27 reviews104 followers
December 28, 2021
overrated but has a good section on trauma surgery lmao
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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