Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Surgery : A Practical Approach to Management

It is a privilege and honor to write the foreword for this book. The contri- tors to Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Surgery: A Practical Approach to M- agement are a national and international Who’s Who of arthroscopic shoulder surgery. They are to be congratulated on presenting the most up-to-date, scienti?c, clinical, and, particularly, technical aspects of arth- scopic cuff surgery. The subject of this text is very timely given the current enthusiasm of arthroscopic and shoulder surgeons for achieving rotator cuff repairs through the arthroscope. This book is carefully structured, organized, well written, and expertly illustrated. The inclusion of video footage that demonstrates selected p- cedures greatly enhances the textbook descriptions. The video is in DVD format, which is the ideal medium to help the reader understand the pr- ciples of arthroscopic cuff surgery. I have been blessed to be able to grow with the evolution of shoulder surgery, and it is pleasing to see the current state of arthroscopic cuff surgery. Not too many years ago, we made rather large incisions in taking the deltoid off the acromion for exposure to achieve a rotator cuff repair. Some surgeons, particularly in Europe, osteotomized the acromion for exposure. We then slowly migrated to utilizing a mini approach that allowed arthroscopic inspection of the glenohumeral joint and subacromial space allowing decompression, if desired. We are now learning, particularly through focused texts such as this and expert tea- ers such as the authors, to achieve rotator cuff repair arthroscopically.