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Plastic Surgery: Indications, Operations, Outcomes
Book Reviews Dupuytren’s Disease. R. Tubiana, C. Leclercq, L. Hurst, M. Badalamente, and E. Mackin, eds. London: Martin Dunitz, 2000, 321 pp, $125. There are only a handful of books in the English literature dedicated solely to Dupuytren’s disease (DD). In this book Tubiana et al have arduously put together their collective authoritative knowledge of DD to produce a monumental publication that is one of the most comprehensive on this subject. This 321-page hardback book encompasses 10 chapters with references for each and concludes with an index and massive list of references, both ancient and current. It contains numerous tables and in excess of 200 photographs, line drawings, and medical illustrations. The book discusses every aspect of DD, beginning with history and ending with rehabilitation. The 3 most remarkable and extensive chapters are on anatomy of palmodigital fascia, cell biology, and treatment. The anatomy chapter is a thorough and detailed description of the normal and pathologic anatomy that is frequently depicted in highquality color illustrations. The cell biology chapter is an extensive and in-depth review of related basic science literature that probes deep into the molecular structures to clarify the pathophysiology and unravel many mysteries of this enigmatic disease. The chapter on treatment discusses both nonoperative and surgical modalities. It contains eloquent surgical illustrations with numerous surgical approaches that vary from routine surgical techniques to flap coverage and salvage procedures. Although the information contained in this book is intended for hand surgeons, it is a must for DD scholars and researchers and will be useful to residents, clinicians, basic scientists, and therapists. The book contains a wealth of knowledge supplemented by lucid color pictures and illustrations. It is like a French cuisine that is pleasing to the eye and yet delicious to the taste. The book covers the material thoroughly without gaps. It communicates clearly in a simple writing
style. The book is affordable; it is a valuable addition to the literature and worth having. The editors are to be commended for bringing forth this colossal, comprehensive, and complete publication on DD. Ghazi M. Rayan, MD 3366 NW Expressway, #700 Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Plastic Surgery: Indications, Operations, Outcomes. Vol. 4 —Hand Surgery. Robert Russell, ed. St Louis: Mosby, 798 pp, $595 (5-volume set). This volume of hand surgery is part of a firstedition 5-volume textbook that is envisioned by the editors “as a comprehensive overview of the entire discipline of plastic surgery.” The hand surgery section contains 41 chapters, 798 well-illustrated pages, and 16 color anatomic plates. By way of comparison, Green’s Operative Hand Surgery (after which this hand surgery volume is generally patterned) contains 71 chapters and 2,254 pages. The text is quite readable. Most of the authors have used the format proposed by the editors: begin each chapter with indications, identify the operation of choice, and conclude with treatment outcomes. Arcane and idiosyncratic disease classification and treatment approaches are avoided. The neophyte and practicing surgeon can look up common clinical hand surgery problems rapidly and obtain a reasonable treatment approach. The 5-volume set is intended for plastic surgeons in training and practice. The hand surgery section will be quite useful to these 2 groups, but it is an excellent reference for hand surgeons in training and those performing basic and moderately complex hand surgery, regardless of background. Despite being part of a plastic surgery textbook, much information is provided about bone problems of the hand and wrist. Jupiter, Stern, Freeland, and Watson, who are recognized experts in the “orthoThe Journal of Hand Surgery 365
366 Book Reviews
pedic” hand community, contribute excellent chapters on distal radius trauma, wrist arthrodesis, hand fractures, and stiff joints. Do not expect to find information on disorders of the elbow, cerebral palsy, stroke, distraction/lengthening, and thoracic outlet syndrome. Multiauthored volumes are often able to match chapters with experienced authors ideally suited to write them. However, multiple authorship can lead to some unevenness in the quality of the chapters. For example, chapter 23 on examination of the hand mistakenly includes an adductor digiti quinti as one of the 3 hypothenar muscles and describes 4 common digital arteries arising from the superficial palmar arterial arch (there are 3). Four chapters cover areas familiar to orthopedists but less likely to be a part of a plastic surgeon’s training. Separate chapters are devoted to fractures and dislocations of the carpus and to distal radius and ulnar fractures. The discussion of rheumatoid arthritis of the hand and wrist is concise but thorough. Nagle’s 10-page chapter on wrist arthroscopy is an excellent introduction to indications, mechanics, and possibilities of this technique. I particularly like the chapters in which the senior author’s vast experience was evident, including the chapters on embryology, distal radius fractures, and thumb reconstruction. The chapter by Merritt on reflex sympathetic dystrophy is the definitive review of this subject. The editors are commended for emphasizing outcomes data for the treatment methods suggested. As Dr Russell notes, this highlights how far there is still to go to have reliable information on the results of the treatment we render. This is a very approachable compendium of hand surgery that is highly recommended for the plastic surgery trainee, hand surgery fellow, or practitioner who treats primary and some secondary hand surgery problems. Hand surgeons with an orthopedic background will find this volume to be a good review and update of hand surgery conditions from a plastic surgical perspective. According to the publisher, the hand surgery volume is currently not available for purchase separate from the 5-volume set. Michael A. McClinton, MD 1400 Front Ave, #100 Lutherville, MD 21093
Hand Fractures: Repair, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation. Alan Freeland, MD. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, 291 pages, 260 illustrations, $95. It would be hard to find a more qualified author for a book on hand fractures than Alan Freeland, MD. This scholarly book brings together in one text Dr Freeland’s concepts and illustrations from many sources, including his prior text (Stable Fixation of the Hand and Wrist), his many book chapters, and journal publications too numerous to mention. Dr Freeland has been closely allied with the AO group and their techniques and devices for internal fixation; therefore, some readers might be suspicious that closed management or use of simple devices (eg, K-wires) would be ignored or given less emphasis. Such worries are quite unfounded. The theme of the preface is “All things in moderation,” and the author clearly states, “We must be motivated by fracture management principles rather than being driven by the application of a single implant, or set of implants, to all situations.” This devotion to principles pervades the entire text, and all sections start with less invasive treatments when they are appropriate. I examined the book from 2 perspectives: as a beginner trying to understand the treatment of fractures for the first time and as an experienced hand surgeon wanting some guidance on particularly difficult problems. For the beginner, the section on gamekeeper’s thumb seemed to be in need of more illustrations to explain the problems that are unique to this fracture. The interosseous wiring technique has one of its best applications in this lesion, but was only mentioned en passant and no illustrations of the technique were provided. The boxer’s fracture can pose many questions for the beginner, and the section on this fracture addressed the issues as well as the author’s prior excellent text. From an experienced surgeon’s perspective, the section on pilon fractures of the proximal interphalangeal joint was excellent, but for completeness I would like to see mention of the Agee force-couple technique (many of us, this reviewer included, need to look at a diagram of this before going to the operating room) or the Slade technique. The author has been able to supply x-ray examples of virtually every fracture and every type of treatment of every fracture. This is quite an accomplishment. Many x-rays are clearer than those
style. The book is affordable; it is a valuable addition to the literature and worth having. The editors are to be commended for bringing forth this colossal, comprehensive, and complete publication on DD. Ghazi M. Rayan, MD 3366 NW Expressway, #700 Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Plastic Surgery: Indications, Operations, Outcomes. Vol. 4 —Hand Surgery. Robert Russell, ed. St Louis: Mosby, 798 pp, $595 (5-volume set). This volume of hand surgery is part of a firstedition 5-volume textbook that is envisioned by the editors “as a comprehensive overview of the entire discipline of plastic surgery.” The hand surgery section contains 41 chapters, 798 well-illustrated pages, and 16 color anatomic plates. By way of comparison, Green’s Operative Hand Surgery (after which this hand surgery volume is generally patterned) contains 71 chapters and 2,254 pages. The text is quite readable. Most of the authors have used the format proposed by the editors: begin each chapter with indications, identify the operation of choice, and conclude with treatment outcomes. Arcane and idiosyncratic disease classification and treatment approaches are avoided. The neophyte and practicing surgeon can look up common clinical hand surgery problems rapidly and obtain a reasonable treatment approach. The 5-volume set is intended for plastic surgeons in training and practice. The hand surgery section will be quite useful to these 2 groups, but it is an excellent reference for hand surgeons in training and those performing basic and moderately complex hand surgery, regardless of background. Despite being part of a plastic surgery textbook, much information is provided about bone problems of the hand and wrist. Jupiter, Stern, Freeland, and Watson, who are recognized experts in the “orthoThe Journal of Hand Surgery 365
366 Book Reviews
pedic” hand community, contribute excellent chapters on distal radius trauma, wrist arthrodesis, hand fractures, and stiff joints. Do not expect to find information on disorders of the elbow, cerebral palsy, stroke, distraction/lengthening, and thoracic outlet syndrome. Multiauthored volumes are often able to match chapters with experienced authors ideally suited to write them. However, multiple authorship can lead to some unevenness in the quality of the chapters. For example, chapter 23 on examination of the hand mistakenly includes an adductor digiti quinti as one of the 3 hypothenar muscles and describes 4 common digital arteries arising from the superficial palmar arterial arch (there are 3). Four chapters cover areas familiar to orthopedists but less likely to be a part of a plastic surgeon’s training. Separate chapters are devoted to fractures and dislocations of the carpus and to distal radius and ulnar fractures. The discussion of rheumatoid arthritis of the hand and wrist is concise but thorough. Nagle’s 10-page chapter on wrist arthroscopy is an excellent introduction to indications, mechanics, and possibilities of this technique. I particularly like the chapters in which the senior author’s vast experience was evident, including the chapters on embryology, distal radius fractures, and thumb reconstruction. The chapter by Merritt on reflex sympathetic dystrophy is the definitive review of this subject. The editors are commended for emphasizing outcomes data for the treatment methods suggested. As Dr Russell notes, this highlights how far there is still to go to have reliable information on the results of the treatment we render. This is a very approachable compendium of hand surgery that is highly recommended for the plastic surgery trainee, hand surgery fellow, or practitioner who treats primary and some secondary hand surgery problems. Hand surgeons with an orthopedic background will find this volume to be a good review and update of hand surgery conditions from a plastic surgical perspective. According to the publisher, the hand surgery volume is currently not available for purchase separate from the 5-volume set. Michael A. McClinton, MD 1400 Front Ave, #100 Lutherville, MD 21093
Hand Fractures: Repair, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation. Alan Freeland, MD. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, 291 pages, 260 illustrations, $95. It would be hard to find a more qualified author for a book on hand fractures than Alan Freeland, MD. This scholarly book brings together in one text Dr Freeland’s concepts and illustrations from many sources, including his prior text (Stable Fixation of the Hand and Wrist), his many book chapters, and journal publications too numerous to mention. Dr Freeland has been closely allied with the AO group and their techniques and devices for internal fixation; therefore, some readers might be suspicious that closed management or use of simple devices (eg, K-wires) would be ignored or given less emphasis. Such worries are quite unfounded. The theme of the preface is “All things in moderation,” and the author clearly states, “We must be motivated by fracture management principles rather than being driven by the application of a single implant, or set of implants, to all situations.” This devotion to principles pervades the entire text, and all sections start with less invasive treatments when they are appropriate. I examined the book from 2 perspectives: as a beginner trying to understand the treatment of fractures for the first time and as an experienced hand surgeon wanting some guidance on particularly difficult problems. For the beginner, the section on gamekeeper’s thumb seemed to be in need of more illustrations to explain the problems that are unique to this fracture. The interosseous wiring technique has one of its best applications in this lesion, but was only mentioned en passant and no illustrations of the technique were provided. The boxer’s fracture can pose many questions for the beginner, and the section on this fracture addressed the issues as well as the author’s prior excellent text. From an experienced surgeon’s perspective, the section on pilon fractures of the proximal interphalangeal joint was excellent, but for completeness I would like to see mention of the Agee force-couple technique (many of us, this reviewer included, need to look at a diagram of this before going to the operating room) or the Slade technique. The author has been able to supply x-ray examples of virtually every fracture and every type of treatment of every fracture. This is quite an accomplishment. Many x-rays are clearer than those