Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery: Relevant Surgical Exposures describes the approaches most commonly used in orthopedic surgery today. Immediate comparisons to the classic orthopedic text, Surgical Exposures in Orthopaedics: The Anatomic Approach, by Hoppenfeld, deBoer, and Buckley, are very favorable. The artwork is excellent, as are the intraoperative photographs and surgical descriptions.
The text is divided into sections on upper extremity, lower extremity, and spine, with 14 chapters detailing and describing common exposures to the various body parts found within those sections. For example, the “Lower Extremity” section includes the chapters “Pelvis,” “Hip and Acetabulum,” “Femur,” “Knee,” “Tibia and Fibula,” and “Foot and Ankle.” The book is both comprehensive and concise. It spans 355 pages, but little space is wasted. Each chapter outlines the standard approach to a given body part, as well as the well-accepted variations, in a brief step-by-step description. The sections and chapters vary somewhat, but all highlight indications and technique, with abundant and useful drawings in each chapter accompanying and augmenting the prose. These figures are accompanied by color intraoperative photographs.