title: Evolution of the Hoffmann Fixators.
abstract: Dr. Raoul Hoffmann of Geneva, Switzerland with the collaboration of Henri Jaquet developed the original Hoffmann external fixateur as a system for treating broken bones without necessarily opening a fracture site to reposition the bone ends. This system has evolved to a more flexible, modular concept with input from surgeons and engineers. In this chapter the modifications of the Hoffmann family of fixators are traced and the important steps in the development of the concept and the instrumentation emphasized.
authors.affiliation: Chief of Orthopedics, University of Louisville Hospital, Louisville, KY, United States. Electronic address: david.seligson@louisville.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seligson
mesh_terms: D016267:External Fixators / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000266:history / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: External fixation; History; Hoffmann