In the era of total hip replacement, the appearance on the orthopedic literary scene of a scholarly work on the subject of arthrodesis of the hip comes as a surprise. It is a reminder, however, that total hip replacement is not a panacea for management of all problems associated with the painful hip. It will never be totally applicable, and the devices that we now employ have limited durability. The young patient in his late teens, 20s, or 30s, undergoing total hip replacement will surely outlive his device, if his life expectancy is normal, and will need supplementary surgery. Infection can be a disaster, and there are many patients with weakness or paralysis of the controlling musculature about a painful hip who would be better served by a stable, fused joint.
The first third of the book devotes itself to the issue of hip arthrodesis in a general way. There