I was given a sample of questions from each of subspecialty sections and found these diverse and helpful. The design of answering the questions after a few questions with annotated references should provide a framework for detailed study of the various topics and questions which they have created. Although many of these questions seem straightforward and simple, they have provided answers which to some degree are all correct but there is one which is the answer for each question. Used properly students could achieve improvement in their knowledge while also practicing and learning the skill of multiple-choice examinations. This should serve as a useful additional tool for study by all those interested in plastic surgery examinations. The use of photographs is an added benefit in the examination process and is used today in various examinations for plastic surgery. I found the section of 51 questions on recent advances to be way too inadequate and short to cover the rapidly expanding recent knowledge base. I would encourage them to expand this section in there next edition to provide more updated expanded information.

Overall I find this to be a useful ‘Self Assessment and Review of Plastic Surgery’ book and think it should be in the hands of all students of plastic surgery.

While textbooks may give a basic insight, they cannot make the candidates feel well prepared for the challenge of an examination.

Therefore, with great joy, I recommend the new book of Professor Ramesh Chandra and Dr Rajiv Agarwal for trainees in plastic surgery. Studying questions and answers of previous examinations or, as in this case, fictive questions with profound explanations in their answers, is a very effective way to prepare for examinations. The insight, provided in this book, certainly will help the candidates to feel confident and well prepared for questions within all fields of plastic surgery, not only for those which they know from their daily work.

With the foundation of the IPRAS Trainees Association the International Confederation for Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery wants to create a forum for exchange and quality improvement in all aspects of plastic surgery training. Providing adequate tools for a successful examination is part of the program.

IPRAS thanks Prof Chandra and Dr Agarwal for contributing a tool to this ambitious project.

In the group of super specialty plastic surgery assumes a very important place, particularly the topics on congenital malformations and reconstructions in head and neck. Inclusion of the recent and past developing surgical technique ‘Robotics in Plastic Surgery’ is highly appreciated. All the subdivisions have been dealt in a very concentrated manner.

This edition of the book must be in the armamentarium of every plastic surgeon who takes up postgraduation as well as seasoned teachers who need to get reaccredited to teach the students in an ongoing manner.

This book “Self assessment and review of plastic surgery” is an updated version with the special feature that each question answer is referenced. An explanation for the answer has also been provided. It helps the person to understand the subject.

The book is comprehensive, covering all aspects of Plastic Surgery from history to the recent advances. The book will be an useful adjunct to both persons aspiring to enter the portals of Plastic Surgery and also for the already enrolled students.

I would strongly recommend this book as a teaching aid in Plastic Surgery.

Currently very few books on multiple choice questions in plastic surgery exist in the market. These books often do not cover the vast expanse of the subject and leave many areas untouched. There was thus a genuine need among students, fellows, colleagues and established plastic and facial surgeons to develop a comprehensive text which is focussed on all the aspects of plastic surgery and which at the same time includes the key facts and knowledge of the subject which is relevant to the practice of plastic surgery. This book is an attempt to fill in this specific deficiency area and to provide the readers a comprehensive treatise of deft multiple choice questions which will not only test the knowledge of plastic surgery but will also assess the reader on his clinical skills and judgment based on the questions relating to clinical problems.

The subject matter of plastic surgery has been covered in a total of seven independent sections dealing with general principles, aesthetic surgery, head and neck, craniofacial and cleft, oncoplastic surgery, trunk and lower extremity and finally upper limb and hand surgery. This is followed by a section of multiple choice questions based on recent advances in plastic surgery. The questions have been based on various, notable publications in plastic surgery over the last ten years. The seven sections offer incisive questions based on the particular subject from the historical aspect to the intricacies of diagnosis and treatment. The last section on recent advances is an assortment of questions without any particular subject loyalty. This section will make the reader abreast with questions on the current advances in plastic surgery. To eliminate any type of ambiguity in the answer to the particular question item, each of the questions in this book has been supported by specific and complete references detailing the authors and the journal so that the reader can refer to these for more information on that particular question stem. All questions also have specific answers and explanations which will provide the reader a grasp of the particular point that has been raised and discussed in the subject stem. The answers, explanations and references follow at the end of each section so that the reader can turn the pages and review these at convenience while the answers also remain hidden from the eye at the time of reading the question item.

Plastic surgery is all about photographs and hence each section has also been augmented with succinct and unambiguous photograph based question items which would test the skill of the reader in clinical decision-making at the bedside.

Special care has been exercised in designing the question stems in this book. All the questions are single response correct type, meaning that only one answer is correct out of all the given options. Majority of the question items have a positive stem and the answers also have a positive response so that the candidates are not confused in attempting these questions. It has also been our endeavor to develop and design the answers in such a way that primarily on first look all of the options may appear to be correct. In fact most of the options or alternatives that are given after the question are correct to a certain degree but there is only one option which is ‘most’ correct. This type of designing of question items helps to maximally test the genuine candidate and especially helps in putting out those who rely on guess work while solving the questions. An attempt has also been made to give the options in such a way that no two options are contradictory to each other so that the candidate zeroes on these two options easily and decides between the two and leaves behind the rest. To further add value to the questions, we have made an attempt to avoid asking those questions whose answers end with numbers as these confuse the reader. It is submitted that while every attempt has been made to cross check the accuracy of the answers, in case of any ambiguity the reader is advised to refer to standard textbooks.

We hope that this work which has been based on our combined teaching experience of more than four decades in plastic surgery will prove useful and stimulating to the readers who will enrich their knowledge on the subject and will also help them in clearing the hurdle of examination in the discipline of not only plastic surgery but also allied specialities.

Dr Abdul Halim, Former Professor and Head, Department of Anatomy and teacher of both the authors.

Dr SP Kharey, Former Director of Cancer Institute, Varanasi and Chief Medical Director, Railways and Professor Hospital Management for proof-reading and critical evaluation.

Prof Padam K Agarwal who has contributed immensely in the preparation of this book with her suggestions, ideas and proof- reading.

Dr AK Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, KG Medical University, Lucknow who has always supported in all our endeavors by his timely advise and guidance.

Colleagues in the department; Dr Vijay Kumar, Dr Brijesh Mishra and Dr Veerendra Prasad who have provided full support during this project. To all the residents of the department who have stimulated us to go for this new book namely Doctors Himanshu Saxena, Veena Kumari, Rimpi Jain, Saurabh Kr Gupta, Somshekhar G, Manish Jain, Rahul Kapoor, Prem Shanker, Shruti Patel and Varun Singla.

Dr Tulika Chandra, who has always supported and helped by taking over care of the children and other chores while the book was being prepared.

Dr Sanjeev Agarwal, FRCS (Orth) and Dr Jyoti Bansal, FRCR both consultants at the Cardiff University Hospital, UK who have been always at our side whenever we needed technical help and suggestions for this book.

Dr SC Mishra, Former Professor and Head ENT and Dr TC Goel, Former Professor of Surgery for encouragement and advise to produce such type of a book.

Our children, Devisha, Mallika, Rishabh, Suyash and Harshita who have undergone long periods of our absence and unavailability for them during the preparation of this book and have endeared and provided full moral support during the preparation of this book.

This book is dedicated to the senior colleagues in the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India and all over the world and the many students, fellows and residents who requested a book on this aspect to help them sail through the examinations in plastic surgery and other allied specialties.

Our thanks are due to Prof DK Gupta, Vice Chancellor, King George's Medical University, Lucknow for his blessings.