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Master techniques in orthopaedic surgery: The elbow
BOOK REVIEWS Master techniques in orthopaedic surgery: The elbow. B.F. Morrey, ed. New York: Raven Press, Ltd, 1994. 368 pages. $175.
Nevertheless this is a superb volume and one that should be available to practitioners and teachers at all levels.
This 368-page book fulfills the promise of its title. It is a beautiful book that is well organized and illustrated by both high-grade drawings and excellent photographs. In addition to Dr. Morrey, 11 other authors contributed, but the format is quite uniform. Each chapter after the first, which is devoted to surgical approaches, begins with Indications/Contraindications, followed by Preoperative Planning, Surgery, Postoperative Management, Results, and Complications. Illustrative cases for technique are presented. These subheadings are amplified by a Recommended Reading list. Although the series editor refers to the book as an atlas, it is really very much more, and in addition to sound suggestions of what works and what does not, useful pearls coming from good and bad experience are given, such as in the chapter on supracondylar fractures in children, where the surgeon is advised to let the child stay on the mother's lap and get through the neurovascular examination before blood is drawn for the preoperative workup. Dr. Morrey advises that arthroscopy rarely is indicated in the evaluation of a patient who has pain alone in the elbow and no positive physical findings. And Dr. Nirschel makes it clear that patients who will not modify their activities are poor candidates for surgery on their epicondyles. The descriptions of the surgical procedures are clear and easy to follow in a step-by-step fashion. All of the sections are well described and illustrated. The chapters on reconstruction (arthroplasty) are balanced in their presentation of the alternatives. No description of arthrodesis of the elbow is given, and considering the low degree of patient acceptance of that procedure, the omission is probably correct. And although an excellent chapter on nerve decompression was written by Dr. Spinner, a companion piece could have been a chapter on the paralytic elbow.
Arthroplasty of the shoulder. Richard J. Friedman, ed. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 321 pages. $99.
242
| n the preface to this work the editor, Dr. Friedman, expresses the goal of this work: "to develop one book that would become the definitive work on this subject, covering all aspects of shoulder arthroplasty from diagnosis to treatment outcomes, and that would save the reader from having to search endlessly through various textbooks and journals." Although one must always reserve judgment regarding the first objective, I believe that he and his 38 other contributors have succeeded in accomplishing the other two. This book is an extremely useful reference for virtually anything concerned with arthroplasty of the shoulder, and it also includes material on alternatives, conservative treatment, and details regarding rehabilitation. In addition to chapters on the general concepts of history, anatomy, biomechanics, and surgical technique, sections specific to different disease entities with indications and contraindications are included. The considerations of complications and their avoidance and management are particularly helpful as are the data on results and survivorship of total shoulder arthroplasty. The book's last section is devoted to current trends, which could lead eventually to an updating as material becomes available. Although a certain amount of duplication that is inherent in a book of this type is seen, it is certainly not a significant defect. In all, I highly recommend it. Robert D. Leffert, MD Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery May/June 1995
Nevertheless this is a superb volume and one that should be available to practitioners and teachers at all levels.
This 368-page book fulfills the promise of its title. It is a beautiful book that is well organized and illustrated by both high-grade drawings and excellent photographs. In addition to Dr. Morrey, 11 other authors contributed, but the format is quite uniform. Each chapter after the first, which is devoted to surgical approaches, begins with Indications/Contraindications, followed by Preoperative Planning, Surgery, Postoperative Management, Results, and Complications. Illustrative cases for technique are presented. These subheadings are amplified by a Recommended Reading list. Although the series editor refers to the book as an atlas, it is really very much more, and in addition to sound suggestions of what works and what does not, useful pearls coming from good and bad experience are given, such as in the chapter on supracondylar fractures in children, where the surgeon is advised to let the child stay on the mother's lap and get through the neurovascular examination before blood is drawn for the preoperative workup. Dr. Morrey advises that arthroscopy rarely is indicated in the evaluation of a patient who has pain alone in the elbow and no positive physical findings. And Dr. Nirschel makes it clear that patients who will not modify their activities are poor candidates for surgery on their epicondyles. The descriptions of the surgical procedures are clear and easy to follow in a step-by-step fashion. All of the sections are well described and illustrated. The chapters on reconstruction (arthroplasty) are balanced in their presentation of the alternatives. No description of arthrodesis of the elbow is given, and considering the low degree of patient acceptance of that procedure, the omission is probably correct. And although an excellent chapter on nerve decompression was written by Dr. Spinner, a companion piece could have been a chapter on the paralytic elbow.
Arthroplasty of the shoulder. Richard J. Friedman, ed. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 321 pages. $99.
242
| n the preface to this work the editor, Dr. Friedman, expresses the goal of this work: "to develop one book that would become the definitive work on this subject, covering all aspects of shoulder arthroplasty from diagnosis to treatment outcomes, and that would save the reader from having to search endlessly through various textbooks and journals." Although one must always reserve judgment regarding the first objective, I believe that he and his 38 other contributors have succeeded in accomplishing the other two. This book is an extremely useful reference for virtually anything concerned with arthroplasty of the shoulder, and it also includes material on alternatives, conservative treatment, and details regarding rehabilitation. In addition to chapters on the general concepts of history, anatomy, biomechanics, and surgical technique, sections specific to different disease entities with indications and contraindications are included. The considerations of complications and their avoidance and management are particularly helpful as are the data on results and survivorship of total shoulder arthroplasty. The book's last section is devoted to current trends, which could lead eventually to an updating as material becomes available. Although a certain amount of duplication that is inherent in a book of this type is seen, it is certainly not a significant defect. In all, I highly recommend it. Robert D. Leffert, MD Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery May/June 1995