A Short Practice of Spinal Surgery

In the nine years since the publication of the first edition, dramatic changes have taken place in imaging technology and surgical techniques applied to the spine, and many new multi-authored and multi-volume works on spinal surgery have appeared. The present work has been expanded to incorporate the best features of modern developments, both investigative and technical, while maintaining the original format of the first edition. Subjects covered are disc disorders, spondylolisthesis, spinal canal and nerve root canal stenosis, spinal infections, the surgery of the cervical spine, and the management of failed spinal operations. Emphasis is placed on the recognition and treatment of disabling forms of disc disease and disc injury which are now more easily distinguished from the problems of disc prolapse. Disc prolapse is thereby placed in perspective so that the relevance and importance of other disc lesions such as Isolated Disc Resorption and Internal Disc Disruption can be recognized and treated appropriately. The relevance of surgical anatomy has been highlighted even further in relation to individual pathological problems, such as spinal stenosis and cervical myelopathy, and applied anatomy is integrated with descriptions of surgical techniques in each chapter. This work is designed for young surgeons to provide them with a unique framework for the diagnosis of surgical lesions in the neck, thorax and low back and with practical information on safe surgical practice.