ABSTRACT
Although skeletal surgery is perceived to be almost exclusively within the province of the orthopaedic surgeon, all surgeons must have an understanding of the principles of surgery on bone. Rib resection and division of the sternum or clavicle may be required for access to intrathoracic structures, and access through bone is required for surgery to the brain and spinal cord. A general surgical operation may include the excision of bone en bloc, with the main specimen ranging from the central portion of the hyoid bone with a thyroglossal sinus, to part of the sacrum with an advanced intrapelvic malignancy.
