The ASCRS Manual of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Second Edition is designed to provide a rapid access pocket reference for residents, fellows, private clinicians, and allied health professionals caring for patients with colorectal surgical diseases. The Manual, abstracted from the ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Second Edition, is intended to impart succinct, clinically relevant information for daily patient care.

Although rectal and perianal complaints are among the most common seen by primary care physicians, surgeons, and gastroenterologists, the wide variety of disorders associated with these complaints are, in general, poorly understood. Additionally, a variety of newer diagnostic techniques, such as endoscopic ultrasound, mannometry, and magnetic resonance imaging, are now being employed for the evaluation of these disorders.