Five years after the publication of the fifth edition of Lovell and
Winter's Pediatric Orthopaedics, Morrissy and Weinstein have again
combined to produce the sixth edition of this essential textbook of pediatric
orthopaedics and its companion atlas, the fourth edition of the Atlas of
Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.
Fifty individuals are credited with contributing to the newest version of
the two-volume Lovell and Winter's Pediatric Orthopaedics, including
seventeen new authors or coauthors. Nine of the thirty-four chapters have new
authors, and almost all of those chapters have been improved and updated in
keeping with the fresh approach that new authors should be expected to bring
to their respective topics. An excellent, entirely new chapter,
"Evaluation of the Medical Literature," has been added, while
"Normal Gait" has been dropped. The subject of congenital
scoliosis has been separated from that of idiopathic scoliosis and now has its
own chapter. Both chapters are particularly well done. The five
"spine" chapters ("Idiopathic Scoliosis,"
"Congenital Scoliosis," "Kyphosis,"
"Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis," and "The Cervical
Spine") are comprehensive and well written. Unfortunately, however, two
of those chapters ("Congenital Scoliosis" and "Spondylolysis
and Spondylolisthesis") suffer from the inclusion of a number of
poorly-reproduced radiographic illustrations.
Most of the chapters that were contributed by the same fifth-edition
authors are well written and appropriately updated. The chapters titled
"Developmental Hip Dysplasia and Dislocation" and
"Legg-Calvé-Perthes Syndrome" remain real jewels within an
overall excellent textbook. The somewhat surprising exception is the chapter
titled "Genetic Aspects of Orthopaedic Conditions." While it
remains a good "primer" of genetics for the orthopaedist, the
chapter is virtually unchanged from the version in the fifth edition, with
only three references with publication dates after 1995 and none with
publication dates after 2000, despite the explosion of information in this
discipline in recent years.
The companion publication, Atlas of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery,
with its four contributing authors, is the "how-to" manual for
pertinent surgical procedures. This fourth edition has ten new chapters,
including "Anterior Strut Graft for Kyphosis," "Direct
Repair for Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis," "Ganz
Periacetabular Osteotomy," "Anterior Osteotomy for Bladder
Exstrophy," and "Double Osteotomy with Elevation of the Tibial
Plateau for Blount Disease."
The chapters on scoliosis surgery have been reorganized and updated.
Excluded from this fourth edition are the chapter on Harrington compression
instrumentation for kyphosis and the chapter on lengthening with use of the
Ilizarov apparatus. Although the editors state in the preface that "Open
Bone Graft Epiphysiodesis for the Treatment of Slipped Capital Femoral
Epiphysis" and "Adductor Transfer" were also dropped, those
two chapters remain intact in the fourth edition.
The illustrations and commentary for the broad and well-selected spectrum
of procedures are generally clear and helpful. The section devoted to the
planning of intertrochanteric osteotomies is particularly good. The section on
angular deformity correction, however, would be strengthened by providing
descriptions of deformity analysis and correction principles. While such an
atlas cannot be expected to include every relevant surgical procedure, a
description of more sophisticated methods of anterior and posterior cervical
spine instrumentation would be beneficial.
Gone from the sixth edition of the textbook is the in-text symbol alerting
the reader to companion information in the atlas. These symbols have been
replaced by a reproduction of the atlas index on the inside front covers of
the textbook volumes, which obligates the reader of the textbook to flip to
this location to see if a particular procedure is illustrated in the
atlas.
In this clear, concise, yet comprehensive and easily read icon of pediatric
orthopaedic knowledge, Morrissy and Weinstein have achieved their stated goal
of focusing "especially upon the decision-making process that precedes
and governs the selection of surgical technique." Current and aspiring
pediatric orthopaedists, orthopaedic surgeons actively involved in the care of
children, and all medical libraries should be in possession of this
outstanding textbook and its companion atlas. Owners of the fifth edition
should peruse the newly authored chapters before deciding to invest in the
latest edition of this classic work. The novice must be aware that the atlas
is not a step-by-step manual for all of the described surgical procedures;
they will still need to refer to anatomy and surgical-approach textbooks to be
fully prepared for most operations that are described in the atlas. Owners of
the third edition of the atlas may not find enough new material to warrant
upgrading to the fourth edition.