As an orthopedics enthusiast, reviewing this book makes me feel a bit like a parish priest reviewing the literary work of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John! For although Piermattei, Flo and DeCamp do not provide us with a “Sermon on the Mount,” there is little doubt that their textbook continues to be the “Bible” of small animal orthopedics.
The 4th edition of this book, first published in 1983, represents a changing of the guard. Dr. Wade Brinker, the original driving force behind the work is well into his nineties and has not contributed to the written text since the 2nd edition. After this 4th edition he will be joined in retirement by Drs. Piermattei and Flo. The “new kid on the block” is Dr. Flo’s Michigan State colleague, Dr. Charles DeCamp, a well-known figure in orthopedic circles for his many publications, lectures, and involvement with professional organizations such as the Veterinary Orthopedic Society.
The changes from the 3rd edition published in 1997 to the 4th edition are relatively minor. The layout of the chapters and the main topics covered are identical save for an 18-page chapter on the basics of arthroscopy. In terms of raw page numbers, the new edition features only 62 additional pages of text.
New material, in addition to the chapter on arthroscopy, includes coverage of many topical issues in orthopedics during the last decade including limited contact dynamic compression plates, autogenous free vascularized bone grafts, interlocking nails, bone anchors, juvenile pubic symphysiodesis, block recession trochleoplasty, tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, partial cruciate ligament tears, and the use of plate/IM pin combinations.
While I am an unabashed fan of this text and heartily recommend this edition, in the interest of balance I must point out a few shortcomings. With respect to the topic of veterinary arthroscopy, this book can be accused of being a bit slow to get with the times. Although a chapter on arthroscopy is a new addition and references to arthroscopy are sprinkled throughout the rest of the text, the chapter that is included is short and very basic. Further, the majority of surgeons today would argue that arthroscopy is the treatment of choice for shoulder OCD and most forms of elbow dysplasia, especially fragmented medial coronoid process. You wouldn’t know it from reading this book! The use of arthroscopy in shoulder OCD merits only 4 lines and it isn’t even mentioned in the section on elbow dysplasia.
After arthroscopy, the hottest current topic in veterinary orthopedics would have to be physiotherapy and rehabilitative therapy, yet it doesn’t rate a mention in the latest edition of this book.
Other quibbles concern portions of the text that are at odds with my own views as reflected in the current literature including the continued description in this text of methods for utilizing intramedullary pins in radial fractures and continued recommendations for surgical repair of metacarpal/metatarsal fractures when more than 2 bones are involved. One would wish that the “Bible” would acknowledge the significant segment of the orthopedic world that is opposed to these recommendations.
Chapter 21 of this text remains in this edition as a review of “Fractures and Luxations of the Mandible and Maxilla.” The mandible and maxilla are currently the site of a war of words between orthopods and veterinary dentists. At the risk of oversimplification, orthopods view mandibular or maxillary fractures as just another broken bone calling for pins, plates, wires or screws to achieve stability and healing. Dentists view these bones as the milieu for teeth with their associated nerves and vasculature and most certainly not a place for stainless steel hardware! This chapter, other than being chapter 20 in the 3rd edition, has changed almost not at all and doesn’t even acknowledge this divergence in opinion. Curiously, the treatment of fractures with intraoral splints made from dental acrylic or crown composite material, which is universally advocated by veterinary dentists, is dismissed in this edition (and the last one) as producing results that “have not been encouraging.” Such a statement belies the widespread use of the technique and is, at the very least, outdated. All in all, this chapter contains more than enough illustrations of plates, pins, and wires in the mandible and maxilla to make any veterinary dentist faint!
As mentioned, these comments represent mere quibbles when taken against the rest of the text. Do I recommend the book? Every practice that sees dogs and cats should have this book. At what is a relatively low price when it comes to textbooks, one would have a hard time finding better value for the money. While the new and updated material in this edition is not extensive, I find myself looking for a new edition every several years if for no other reason than that my paperback copy becomes so dog-earred from constant use.