ARTICLE IN PRESS
Book Review
in cases of suspected ulnar nerve compression at this
site. This is why we measured the muscle thickness at
the level of the pisiform. As it happens this is also the
site of the maximum thickness of the muscle, as in all
cases the anomalous muscle tapered proximally from
the level of the pisiform towards their presumed origin,
the antebrachial fascia.
Book review
Surgical Exposures in Orthopaedics. The Anatomic
Approach. 3rd Edn
Edited by Stanley Hoppenfeld and Piet Deboer
Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
ISBN: 0781742285 Price £138.00 h 206.
This is the third edition of this text which is laid out
in a manner to serve as a reference for surgeons
attempting to look up an operative technique. It seems
to be aimed at the relatively junior surgeon and senior
trainees or consultants would gain little benefit from it.
Since approaches to the upper and lower limbs as
well as the axial skeleton are described, this book does
not deal with anything comprehensively. Incisions for
trigger finger and thumb are not covered, Dupuytren’s
disease is only referred to in relation to the foot and
there is no mention of any arthroscopic approach for
the upper limb below the shoulder. It would also have
been reasonable to include a section on basic principles
of local flaps, such as the Z-plasty. Each section is laid
out in an identical manner with the same headings.
There is thus some unnecessary repetition of text,
particularly in the sections ‘Position of the Patient’ and
‘Internervous Plane’.
641
S. Ostlere, P. Harvie
Department of Radiology, Windmill Road, Headington
Oxford OX3 7LD, UK
E-mail address: simon.ostlere@noc.anglox.nhs.uk.
r 2004 The British Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jhsb.2004.06.010 available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com
Rather unorthodox techniques are described for
some operations, in particular carpal tunnel decom-
pression. The techniques recommended for dissection in
the hand, particularly dissection around digital nerves
are also rather crude. The illustrations are busy and
thus a little confusing and occasionally inaccurate.
Some of the incisions depicted are rather misleading
and appear to show incisions traversing flexion creases
without angulation.
In its favour, the book has a pleasing emphasis on
surgical anatomy, the specific dangers of each approach
are highlighted and the binding is attractive. The book
is compact with 715 pages and although this makes it
reasonably portable it does not justify its price tag. As a
source of reference for junior surgeons I would hesitate
to recommend this book. For more senior surgeons
there are better atlases of operative surgery and
anatomical surgical approaches available.
David Shewring
r 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of The British Society for Surgery
of the Hand.
doi:10.1016/j.jhsb.2004.08.004, available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com