A quiet man seeking "intellectual challenge" and "creative fulfillment" in his work, Charles C. Edwards, MD, chief of orthopedic surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, has regularly been performing some of the most remarkable feats of skeletal reconstruction ever attempted.
In the four years since Edwards has been customdesigning, engineering, and implanting various devices in "last chance" orthopedic cases, he has never experienced failure.
By his own estimation, Edwards performs five or six unique skeletal reconstructions per year. In each case to date, including several total humerus replacements, a hemipelvic reconstruction, three total hippelvis combination reconstructions, several dramatic spinal procedures, a femoral shaft replacement and, most recently, the world's first total lumbar spine replacement, his work has resulted in dramatic, often miraculous improvement in the quality of life of his patients.
"We accept only cases where all conventional medical treatment has been exhausted," says Edwards, who is