Preface

The purpose of this book is to offer an exhaustive overview of the recent insights into the state-of-the-art in arthroplasty. The tremendous long-term success of Sir Charnley's total hip arthroplasty has encouraged many researchers, physicians, surgeons, and technicians to search for new applications, designs, technology, and surgical exposures to treat pain, improve function and create solutions for higher quality of life.

Indeed, the success story was repeated very soon with knee arthroplasty. Moreover, the number of knee arthroplasties has shown almost exponential growth worldwide and has exceeded the number of total hip arthroplasties in many clinics in the Western countries in the past decade. Besides, and as described in a special chapter of this book, arthroplasty of the upper extremity joints and spine is an emerging field.

However, there are complications involved in bringing any foreign design into the unique and wonderful system of the human body. First, opportunistic germs try to win the ever-ongoing war with their host in the cover of the prosthesis. In the chapter on infections we endeavor to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis and description of the surgical and medical management of this difficult problem. Secondly, the immune system is suddenly faced with a strange material coming in huge amounts of micro-particles from the tribology code for an extended period of time. Therefore, great attention has been given to the problem of aseptic loosening in special chapters on loosening and materials.

Each chapter includes an extensive review of the literature as well as current techniques and philosophies. We have been as fortunate as to have an outstanding group of arthroplasty specialists from all over the world contributing to this publication. Some current topics have been discussed by several authors; therefore some repetition has been inevitable. However, as the problems are illuminated from different points of view, this only brings an added value to the book.

We especially wish to acknowledge the contributing authors, without whom a work of this magnitude would clearly not be realizable. We thank them for allocating much of

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their very scarce time to this project. Not only do we appreciate their participation but also their adherence as a group to the time parameters set for this publication.

**Dr. Samo K. Fokter, MD,**

Assist. Professor and Chairman, Dept. for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Trauma, Celje Teaching Hospital Slovenia

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their very scarce time to this project. Not only do we appreciate their participation but

**Dr. Samo K. Fokter, MD,** Assist. Professor and Chairman,

Celje Teaching Hospital

Slovenia

Dept. for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Trauma,

also their adherence as a group to the time parameters set for this publication.

**Part 1** 

**Introduction** 
