The publisher Springer in London has just brought out the second edition in English of “Anterior Knee Pain and Patellar Instability”, edited by Dr. Vicente Sanchis Alfonso. The prologue to this second edition is written by Professor John Fulkerson, one of the world's greatest authorities in knee extensor mechanism surgery. This is a book with multiple authors, all of them pioneers or great experts in the area about which they write and all having international prestige. The authors are from different countries and, consequently, from different schools of thought, which serves to enrich the book. In addition, to have the widest viewpoint possible on patellofemoral joint pathology, the book boasts a multidisciplinary approach.
The opening monograph addresses anterior knee pain, which is the most frequent knee pathology and, curiously, the most unknown, problematic and controversial. A prominent place is also given to patellar instability and patellofemoral arthrosis, 2 areas that equally draw considerable attention presently and whose diagnosis and solution are not always easy.
The book consists of several sections. In the first, the broadest, great importance is given to aetiopathogenesis, with an eminently practical approach. The main goal is to describe therapeutic targets to make personalised treatments possible, depending on the dominant aetiopathogenic factor or factors. The second section covers the new technologies available for assessing patients with patellofemoral pathology: PET-CT scans, physiological cartilage imagining, kinetic and kinematic analysis, computer models and real-time and load MRIs. The third section of the book focuses on the discussion of complex clinical cases. In their presentation, the error or complication involved is analysed, how the diagnosis was reached is explained and how sequelae are treated is commented. The fourth part of the text, entitled “How I Do It”, addresses the step-by-step description of the surgical techniques currently used in patellofemoral pathology, detailed by the surgeons who have designed them.
The last section of the book consists of Professor Al Merchant's chapter reflecting his life experience, what the years and his patients have taught him. The epilogue to the book is written by Scott Dye, professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Dye is the advocate of the tissue homeostasis theory, for which he is known world-wide.
Finally, in addition to its 356 illustrations (205 in colour), the book incorporates a 4.5-h DVD, as many other current texts do. In this excellent DVD, the physiotherapy and surgical techniques previously described are presented in detail, with their “tricks” and suggestions. All of this material can also be accessed online through Springer's webpage.
The text is aimed at orthopaedic surgeons, rehabilitation doctors, doctors specialising in these areas, sports medicine professionals and physiotherapists. Without a doubt, we have here a magnificent scientific manual, whose 543 pages are well worth reading and even studying. It seems certain that, with time, this book will become the standard reference for surgeons interested in the pathology of the knee extensor mechanism.
Focusing on the human side, it should be pointed out that the author's rights have been assigned in their entirety to the research foundation at the Hospital Clínico Universitario in Valencia (INCLIVA), specifically for projects related to breast cancer. This fact contributes to commend the dimension of the book even more, if that is possible.
For further information, see: http://www.springer.com/medicine/orthopedics/book/978-0-85729-506-4?changeHeader.
Please cite this article as: Carles Monllau J. Crítica de libros. Rev Esp Cir Ortop Traumatol. 2012;56(2):174–5.
