Operative Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery

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Pheidippides

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I want to hold off on purchasing Mcglamrys as rumor has it a new edition is coming out within the next year. I recently ran across Operative Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery by Mark Easley (newest edition that just came out in July 2010) and was quite impressed from the little that I saw. Wondering if anyone here has used the book and if so what do you think of it?

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I want to hold off on purchasing Mcglamrys as rumor has it a new edition is coming out within the next year. I recently ran across Operative Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery by Mark Easley (newest edition that just came out in July 2010) and was quite impressed from the little that I saw. Wondering if anyone here has used the book and if so what do you think of it?

I am waiting to receive my copy of the Mark Easley's book. This is the first edition of the book. I will let you know when I get it in the mail. It is suppose to compete with Operative Techniques: Foot and Ankle Surgery by Glenn Pfeffer, Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery: The Foot and Ankle by Harold Kitaoka, and Master Techniques in Podiatric Surgery: The Foot and Ankle by Thomas Chang. The Pfeffer book is in outline format and comes with a DVD. The other two books are in text format and do not come with DVD.
 
That's good you've found a book you like, but don't get overly fixated on the date of publication. There's good reason some texts are on their 3rd+ edition and others have a first and only edition. Journals are for staying up to date; texts are for more comprehensive discussions and more detail.

The surgical anatomy and the pathologies don't change. The fixation options do, but a surgeon with just the basic AO sets and solid technique + anatomy knowledge + planning will beat (correction: demolish) the results of the dime a dozen rep-influenced mediocre surgeons with the latest and most expensive biologics + lock plate toys. Toys are nothing but icing on the cake, and that does you very little good if you don't spend the time to learn how to make the cake itself.

...If you want a techniques book, Myerson's Recon F&A Surgery (2005) is quite solid. It comes with a nice DVD (with bonus of charming South African accent). It's basically the ortho version of Chang: many pics and good detail on one or two ways of handling each deformity... not at all comprehensive/historical like McGlamry or Coughlin texts are. Myerson's has quite a few advanced techniques for rearfoot recon, but it's pretty sparse on forefoot (Chang has more forefoot, less rearfoot). IMO, Myerson - or Chang - make a very solid buy for ~$200.
 
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the insight. The problem I have with the current edition of Mcglamry's is that the intra-op pictures are horrendous. I'm a visual learner and I just need something better. I decided to go with Easley's book for the excellent photos and diagrams plus an old edition of Mcglamrys as I figure that will still have the basics in it.
 
I've always been fond of McGlammary's books for basic knowledge and techniques. I was actually a little disappointed in Chang for the lack of diversity regarding treatment options for various pathologies. Each chapter basically offered that author's view of the treatment option/surgery of choice, whereas I like to see an overview of treatment options which I believe is a better teaching/learning experience.

But of course that depends on the intention of the book.

And as Feli states, journals are truly for keeping up to date. Going to seminars and listening to reps are great for hearing propaganda and feeling and touching all the new "toys", but those are useless if you don't understand the fundamentals.

If you are a visual learner, there's a website that I've posted a link to before on this site, and many of my former students/residents have found beneficial, since it shows procedures in a step by step process. The site is set up by a foot/ankle orthopedist in England and although I can't say I agree with all his philosophies/techniques, it's a pretty solid site and the pictures are good.

Check it out to see if it is helpful for you. And the best perk is that it's free.

http://www.footsurgeryatlas.com/foot-surgery-atlas.htm
 
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