The editors of this text, who are acknowledged as experts in their field,
state that their book is intended "to address the obvious need for
education that exists with regard to shoulder and elbow arthroplasty."
They note the variable nature of the pathology encountered, the relative
infrequency with which most individual surgeons perform shoulder and elbow
arthroplasty, and the need for improved outcomes. The editors intend their
text to be used as a springboard for delving more deeply into information on
shoulder and elbow arthroplasty. Fifty-three experts, both well established
and emerging, have contributed to the text, which is organized into two parts
and six sections. The sections for both the shoulder and the elbow address
implant, technical, and disease-specific considerations in turn. Seventeen
chapters relate to the shoulder and fourteen, to the elbow.
Both of the chapters on the history and development of shoulder and elbow
arthroplasty are interesting to read. The chapters on anatomy and biomechanics
are remarkably well illustrated and comprehensive. In the shoulder section,
the separate chapters on humeral replacement, glenoid replacement, and
interpositional arthroplasty have emphasized the technique favored by the
individual chapter authors rather than comprehensively reviewing all
techniques. Subsequent chapters specifically address glenohumeral arthritis,
the rotator cuff tendon-deficient arthritic shoulder, synovial-based
arthritis, post-capsulorraphy arthritis, chronic dislocations, arthroplasty
for fractures, and prosthetic management of posttraumatic deformity. These
chapters provide a wealth of detailed information for surgeons presented with
these specific conditions. The shoulder section concludes with chapters on
revision arthroplasty, limb salvage, and complications.
The elbow section contains chapters on total elbow arthroplasty replacement
and linked and unlinked implants. One chapter addresses clinical diagnosis and
imaging, and other chapters specifically address arthroplasty techniques for
osteoarthritis, synovial-based arthritis, acute fractures, chronic
dislocation, dysfunctional instability, and periarticular nonunions. There are
also chapters on revision elbow arthroplasty, complications of total elbow
arthroplasty, and rehabilitation.
The quality of the chapters in this text is consistently good, and each
chapter is well illustrated. Both shoulder and elbow arthroplasty are evolving
and this book accurately represents the state of the art at this time. The
text provides a foundation for future scientific study that will help to
determine which of the plethora of procedures and prostheses currently
available will stand the test of time and provide the optimum results in the
long term.
The editors have achieved their stated purpose, and this book should act as
a very useful reference for the surgeon who only occasionally performs
shoulder or elbow arthroplasty. The book should be in the library of
institutions with orthopaedic training programs and will also serve as a
valuable source of information for full-time shoulder and elbow reconstructive
surgeons.