There are a myriad of texts to choose from when revising for the FRCS Orth Viva/Clinical examinations which cover relevant information in a number of different formats. The two texts reviewed here are a pair from the same author best utilised in the latter stages of preparation with all information in bullet point format.

Myself and a colleague recently used both books (and thankfully passed our examinations!) and found them very useful for the latter half of our revision period after the MCQ papers.

The ‘Drawings and Classifications’ book has over 96 sketches the vast majority being key drawings commonly requested in a viva situation. The drawings ranged from cell structures of osteoclasts to detailed anatomical cross-sections and layers of articular cartilage. These drawings are very useful in the basic science viva however are also occasionally required in the trauma and adult pathology vivas. At first glance, the drawings appear a little sketchy for a textbook although they are still clear and well labelled. I believe the idea is that they are actually what ‘you’ would draw, at speed, in the examination with ‘no-frills’ whilst being fairly detailed.

The latter half of the book is an extensive list of classifications divided into the various subtopics of paediatric, trauma, etc, and although there are no diagrams in this section, it is nice to have all the common classifications in a single text to skim through as a refresher as the examination date draws closer.

The clinical text is also in two parts, first a text section and then numerous clinical photographs showing both positioning for certain examination techniques but also a number of pathologies often seen in the clinical examination.

The text section is set out to take you through the salient features of your intermediate cases (5-min history, 5-min examination, 5-min discussion). There are a combination of more than 80 specific conditions from rheumatoid hands, carpal tunnel, OA knee, patella instability, scoliosis etc and generic conditions such as leg length discrepancy, pes cavus, back pain etc.

Each case includes a list of 4–5 ‘must ask’ questions in the history, associated pathologies to look out for and a step-by-step examination technique with highlighted key special tests for each example.

We found this text a little too bullet point at the start of our revision, however, once in full swing and with a good base knowledge the book come into its own. Working systematically through all cases prepared us for all the intermediate cases, we saw and many of the short cases. There will always be a few short cases no book can prepare you for!

Overall, both books served us very well in the last few months of revision for the final part of the FRCS (Orth) they are relatively cheap, a quick read and contain a great deal of important information. There are a few drawings in the first book which appear a bit over the top (molecular structure of ethylene or methacrylate), and the examination pictures will never be as good as videos (Youtube.com a valuable revision aid for examination techniques!) but I have and will continue to recommend these books to colleagues coming up to their examinations.

Overall, a good purchase.