This book is worth reading and studying in detail as it may be the first of its kind. The book's eleven chapters guide the clinician through the complexities of revision operations involving the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, the collateral ligaments, the patellofemoral articulation, the menisci, the chondral surfaces of the knee, the shoulder, the rotator cuff, and the acromioclavicular joint.
The text is well written, well illustrated, and well referenced. The entire book is concise yet comprehensive. Each chapter provides an approach for the evaluation and management of patients for whom operative treatment has failed. The preoperative workup, unique differential diagnoses, operative pathology (including altered anatomy), and postoperative care are covered in detail.
Particularly strong chapters include "The Failed ACL Reconstruction," "Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients After Failed Patellofemoral Surgery," "Reoperation After Partial Meniscectomy and the Failed Meniscus Repair," "Failed Surgery for Shoulder Instability," and "Failed Surgery of the Acromioclavicular Joint."
In summary, this book not only tells the reader what can go wrong during arthroscopic procedures and operations involving the ligaments, it also provides information on how to address these failures. It will be a valuable addition to the library of any orthopaedic surgeon who is interested in the knee and the shoulder.
Michael E. Torchia, M.D.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota