and refinement that exists within the necessarily strict rules of the
internal fixation method. In this way we seek to contribute to as weIl
as to stimulate the search for rational solutions to surgical problems.
It is assumed throughout that the reader is fa miliar with the technical
fundamentals of internal fixation, and so these details are omitted.
Instead, special indications and technical refinements are presented on
the basis of case examples. Because an endless variety of situations can
arise in orthopedic surgery (a circumstance that is attracting more and
more surgeons to the field), we have taken ca re that our examples can
readily be applied to novel situations. We now credit, in alphabetic
order, those who contributed most to the techniques presented: R.
BLATTER, A. BOITZY, C. BRUNNER, O. CECH, A. DEBRUNNER, F. MAGERL, G.
SEGMÜLLER, G. STÜHMER, and B.G. WEBER. We thus express thanks to those
colleagues in our clinic who agreed to having their ideas published. But
we are also grateful to our illustrators, H. and K. SCHUMACHER, our
photographer, M. SCHAFFNER, and our chief secretary, U. OETLIKER, who
contributed so much to the preparation of the manuscript. Finally, we
thank Springer-Verlag for their patience with us and especiaUy for their
efficient work in bringing the book to press. St. GaU, Fall 1981 CH.F.
BRUNNER B.G. WEBER Contents Lag Screws ............. .