surgical intervention can be thoroughly assessed, and in many cases, definitively treated arthroscopically. Yet, and perhaps a consequence of the rather rapid evolution of these tech­ niques, few single-source references are available for either the "would be" shoul­ der arthroscopist or the experienced clinician looking to hone his/her arthroscopic skills about the shoulder. The purpose of this text is to address this deficiency and provide the orthopaedic and arthroscopic community with a single definitive "how to" technical reference on operative shoulder arthroscopy. In keeping with this initiative, our goal was to assemble a group of authors who themselves were responsible for developing the techniques described, learning firsthand how "they do it. " We are indebted to these contributors for their time and effort, and be­ lieve they have provided a wealth of valuable information that will enhance our technical understanding.