PEDIATRIC ORTHOPAEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE, by JP Dormans; 2004. St Louis: Mosby (Elsevier Australia). pp. xvi + 474; includes index. Illustrated. ISBN: 0323018262. $A99.00. hb.With the growth in multidisciplinary management of paediatric orthopaedic conditions, and the rapid growth in sports medicine education and instruction, this book is timely and opportune. This is the first in a series of 10 books exploring the paediatric subspecialties (further books planned will encompasspulmonology, endocrinology, infectious diseases, toxicology, cardiology, nephrology and urology, adolescent medicine and gastroenterology). This text is mainly geared to students, nurse practitioners, physiotherapy practitioners, paediatric and orthopaedic residents and paediatric primary care physicians. As such, it is a useful text for reference and perusal and overall it meets these requirements well.This multi-authored volume contains 15 chapters, concentrating on the basic core knowledge in conditions relevant to paediatric orthopaedic care. The book comprises some 474 pages with over 450 figures, and is divided into four main sections. The four foundation blocks cover paediatric trauma, disorders of bone, sports medicine and conditions of special orthopaedic significance. Layout could be improved by colour coding the four core sections, to separate them more distinctly, and by having the sports section follow the trauma section. The section on trauma is the best targeted to the desired area, and the topics were usefully covered. The sections on disorders of bone and specialized orthopaedics may be less well addressed in a short book such as this.The format is basic and clear. Each chapter begins with a menu of its structure. This is followed, in sequential fashion, by a focus on general principles and history taking, thereafter proceeding to the relevant clinical findings. A strong feature of this publication is that disease-specific, useful clinical signs and tests are described clearly, with labelled diagrams and clinical photographs. The chapter structure generally graduates then into advising the appropriate imaging and lab investigations and discussing these findings.Areas where paediatricians and orthopaedic surgeons must collaborate, such as developmental dysplasia of hip (DDH) and DDH screening, are discussed comprehensively. The orthopaedic implications of each condition and probable management strategy are outlined. Indications for referral to an orthopaedic surgeon are clearly described along with advice on the requisite adjunct investigations with referral. Each chapter concludes with a summary, a table of the major 'take home' points and a relevant reference list.The layout of the chapters is clear. The text is quite comprehensive and figure quality is mostly good.The literary structure is not always adhered to, with occasional large blocks of text relatively sparsely subtitled which can make digestion more difficult. For instance, the section on talipes equinovarus is a long monologue which could have better focused on...
