Femoral head and neck excision

Kenneth A. Johnson recommendation in every textbook description. A cadaveric study published in this issue of the Journal compared two methods of osteotomy (2). The authors found that use of a sagittal saw produced a smoother ostectomy surface in comparison to the use of an osteotome, which more often produced bone fissures and fragmentation (2). The findings of this study provide an impetus to further evaluate the outcome in clinical patients, using objective measures. Since it is unlikely that availability of total hip arthroplasty will ever eliminate the need for salvage procedures such as femoral head and neck excision, there is a need for more outcomedriven research to evaluate the influence of a range of factors on the success of the procedure, such as surgical technique, surgeon skill, patient factors, and postoperative rehabilitation.