The first edition of this book provided a convenient passage through the minefield of skeletal dysplasia terminology and diag nosis, and has proved of immense value to its users. In the ten years since publication, many more syndromes have inevitably been described, the terminology has been revised, and the aetiology of a number of these conditions has been elucidated. The terminology used in the book is firmly based on the 1992 revision of the International Nomenclature. It is pleasing to see how this terminology is being accepted in the world literat ure, with a re duction in the confusion previously engendered by different usages. Readers of the book will find more than bare gamut listings. The abnormalities are carefully subdivided to allow a logical progres sion of thought and discovery; the entries include a variety of non dysplastic conditions which come into the differential diagnosis and there are many short interpolations which provide additional help to the searcher in problem areas. You will not find these fea tures in a computer database; they are the product of thoughtful ness and vast knowledge of the conditions in their clinical contexts. The process is further advanced by the series of summaries of the dysplasias and other syndromes; this section contains all of the con ditions listed in the International Nomenclature, plus others, and provides confirmation or exclusion of possible diagnoses and appropriate suggestions for further reading. This new edition will add significantly to the well-deserved pop ularity of the first edition.
