Modern endoprosthetics requires the examination of basic principles such as metallurgy, tribology, gait analysis, model and system development, methods of implant fixation, design, surface problems, material characteristics, stability behaviour, and operating techniques. With a background of more than 30 years of experience, this work presents a summary of these fields, providing the reader with the current state of knowledge. It is dedicated to Dr. med. h.c. Otto Frey-Zünd who, in conjunction with orthopaedic surgeons, scientists and engineers from all over Europe, developed artificial joints for hips, knees, elbows and wrists in over 30 years of pioneering work.
