M. Llusá, À. Merí, and D. Ruano. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2008. 422 pages. $175.00. ISBN: 978-0-89203-394-2.
New from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) this year is the Surgical Atlas of the Musculoskeletal System, originally published in Spanish and written by Llusá, Merí, and Ruano. This text has just recently been carefully translated into English, under the direction of the publications and international departments at the AAOS.
This textbook provides quite detailed information about general musculoskeletal anatomy and is divided into four principal sections. Section 1 provides general information, reviewing simple anatomic nomenclature, providing background for the reader, and establishing a basic foundation for students who are relatively new to the subject of anatomy. This section is well illustrated (as are all sections), with very nice color plates that demonstrate and enhance the various topics that are addressed.
The subsequent three sections are divided into general anatomic regions: the scapular girdle and upper limb, the head and trunk, and the pelvic girdle and lower limb. Each of these sections is further subdivided into chapters that discuss topical regions and surface anatomy, osteology, arthrology, myology, neurology, and angiology. This classic division of topics is truly an excellent and logical way of approaching the learning and understanding of the different structural components of the musculoskeletal system. Each of these subsections has a number of strong points, including concise and detailed color photographs of the anatomic regions discussed, a narrative text that provides detailed information of the area that is being reviewed, multiple figures that are carefully labeled and that provide additional information, and various radiographic images that complement the color photographs. Particularly strong are the sections on myology, which contain detailed descriptions on each of the major muscle groups in the described regions as well as helpful tables and drawings demonstrating the function, origin, insertion, and innervation of muscles. The neurology section, similarly, has excellent color photographs that demonstrate the important plexuses and clearly demonstrate the relationship of the neural structures to the surrounding anatomy. Color photographs of key muscular innervation points are nicely presented. Additional images of cutaneous innervation zones and drawings of the motor branches of major nerves and their plexuses are all quite helpful.
As previously noted, the text is very logically laid out and is certain to be of great interest and educational value to students of anatomy. In particular, medical students and residents are likely to find this textbook helpful as they learn the details of the musculoskeletal system. However, because of the detailed but topical organization of the text, this would not be the book to use for a "quick refresher" prior to surgery. The surgeon who is looking for a quick review is likely to be somewhat frustrated by the separation of the information into various sections and may find it more helpful to look at a more conventional atlas of anatomy with composite drawings or images, including axial (cross-sectional) anatomy, which is not particularly well presented in this book.
A couple of points are worth mentioning: First, the pictures tend to be of excellent quality and are quite clear, but, occasionally, because of the detail being presented, it is difficult to conceptualize the larger orientation and identify the overall relationship of the structures being demonstrated. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to gain the "overall picture" while reviewing the images.
Second, the narrative (while generally very concise) at times can be a bit difficult to follow. Often the reader is required to flip back and forth among several pages in order to understand the written discussion and identify that description with the images labeled on other pages in the book.
An exceptionally strong point associated with this textbook is the video supplement on the compact disc that is included with each copy. Essentially, all of the images contained in this anatomy book are available on the compact disc, which provides an excellent study guide and is of great value to those who teach surgical anatomy.
All in all, the book is very well done, and it is certainly a reference anatomy text that will be very valuable to students, residents, and those who have a passion for teaching and understanding anatomy. This textbook will be a valuable addition to medical libraries in general and orthopaedic libraries in particular; however, it is unlikely to be a surgeon's mainstay for quickly reviewing the anatomy just before leaving for the operating room or in preparation for the next day's surgical cases. This textbook really seems to be a "hybrid" in that it falls into a category somewhere between the classic descriptive textbook of anatomy and the purely visual atlas of anatomy. The authors have done a nice job in creating a useful blend between the two. All in all, I would recommend this atlas as an excellent resource book for anatomy instruction and for serious students of anatomy. For teaching purposes, the compact disc alone is worth the modest price of the book.