MedicalScienceBooks.com Medical Book Review:

     The option of being able to take significant and early steps to preserve a joint in a patient suffering from debilitating pain caused by injury or degeneration has really only been available over the past two decades.  Prior to this time, the orthopedic surgeon was left to choose among a variety of surgical techniques often requiring the total replacement of the joint with synthetic materials.  With the trend of older individuals remaining active over a greater portion of the life span and complex case presentations in younger individuals in whom replacement surgery is avoided as long as possible, the developing techniques and philosophy of cartilage repair is likely to revolutionize the care of many orthopedic conditions.
     The publication of A Primer in Cartilage Repair and Joint Preservation of the Knee comes at a time when the research literature and clinical experience of a growing number of surgeons and clinicians have come to an overwhelming conclusion that this is a highly efficacious approach with clear advantages to the patient.  The dual purpose of this book is to introduce the basic techniques to orthopedic specialists in training and serve as the definitive guide on the subject for established surgeons wishing to incorporate these techniques into their practice.  The fact that the reader can benefit from the continuity of style and thought process that comes along with a single author text is truly an amazing feat and yet, in this context, it is almost a necessity since there are so few clinicians that have the requisite experience in this realm. 
     Deciding which patients will derive the most benefit from cartilage repair techniques is obviously at the core of its great success.  The book opens with a set of chapters that deal with the initial patient assessment and various knee joint evaluations that aid in the development of a treatment strategy.  The next two parts detail the cartilage repair surgery both directly involving autologous implants and also dealing with accompanying pathologies of the knee joint such as misalignment issues.  The final section includes two chapters focused on the treatment of osteoarthritis, particularly in younger patients who present a unique challenge.  Each section is detailed with numerous surgical photographs as seen through the arthroscope and detailed external photographs of grafts and other biologic materials as applied to the knee joint. In addition, for those anatomical descriptions which are hard to visualize, there is an excellent illustration program which effectively captures the nuances of tissue layers and joint space.  Last but certainly not least is the companion DVD which includes video of various surgical procedures.
     A Primer in Cartilage Repair and Joint Preservation of the Knee is a book that should not only be read by orthopedic specialists but implemented as much as possible in daily practice.  As techniques and materials get refined over the next several years, interventions that are centered on tissue repair will continue to gain popularity and serve our patients well as they balance active lifestyles with degenerative processes. 

 

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