Foreword by Jesse B Jupiter

Jan Bartoniček and his colleagues have taken a lifetime of scholarship and surgical experience to produce a truly unique and comprehensive textbook related to injuries of both the adult and pediatric scapula. Twenty-two chapters start with a fascinating review of the history of scapula fractures. Throughout the book, the text is enhanced with reproductions of anatomical specimens prepared by the authors of the textbook at the Institute of Anatomy of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Prague. The text exposes the reader to contemporary information regarding anatomy, radiologic evaluation, clinical examination, and classifi cations. An informative chapter presents to the reader the authors’ own classifi cation based upon CT radiology. Each chapter is extraordinarily supported by clear clinical and artistic presentations of the specific structural injury to the scapula. Each chapter devoted to injuries related to specific anatomic regions of the scapula perhaps may be the most exciting aspects of the text for the clinician. Covering anatomical fracture patterns, surgical exposures, methods of internal fixation, pitfalls and pearls, a vast array of clinical examples inclusive of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative x-rays and clinical function serve as excellent guidance to the surgeon faced with similar traumatic fracture patterns. The text expands further to cover injuries to the shoulder girdle and proximal humerus as well as scapulothoracic dissociation and fi nally injuries to the growing scapula. This is truly the most comprehensive textbook on the subject expanding on the documentation of over 500 scapula fractures seen and treated by the author and colleagues with over 900 references, the oldest dating back to 1579. On a personal note, I am honored to be asked to provide this foreword as I have come to know Jan Bartoniček and observed first hand his clinical acumen. What also remains a unique interest of his is the history of orthopedics, contributing a number of clinical publications on this most interesting aspect of our specialty.