Materials and Material Properties
Summary of Key Points • The goals of most spine surgeries are to decompress the neural elements and restore spinal alignment and stability. • The mechanical properties of the material…
Biomechanical Testing
Summary of Key Points • There was a rapid increase in the biomechanical analysis and quantitative understanding of the anatomy of the spine and clinical issues related to its treatment…
Adjacent Segment Degeneration and Disease of the Cervical and Lumbar Spine
Summary of Key Points • Spondylosis is a naturally occurring degeneration of intervertebral discs that can result in neurologic compression. • It is commonly treated by decompression at the site…
Electrodiagnostic Studies
Summary of Key Points • Components of the electrodiagnostic (EDX) examination include (1) nerve conduction studies, (2) needle electrode examination (or electromyogram), and (3) special studies (e.g., H reflexes, F…
Masqueraders of Spinal Pathology
Summary of Key Points • Patients with spine disease can present with a variety of symptoms and signs. These symptoms and signs may overlap with other, nonspine conditions. • The…
Spine Registries
Summary of Key Points • Understand the history and driving forces behind the development of patient registries, including policy changes and limitations in existing health research. • Evaluate spine registries…
Big Data in Health Care
Summary of Key Points • Big data analytics refers to a collection of tools that will analyze large volumes of data and allow for predictions based on those analytics to…
Computational Modeling of the Spine
Summary of Key Points • The reduced costs and time, and the ability to simulate sophisticated loading conditions and vary certain parameters (such as treatment strategies) in a perfectly controlled…
Intraoperative Monitoring in Routine and Complex Surgery
Summary of Key Points • Intraoperative monitoring in spine surgery is a surrogate for a neurologic examination in the anesthetized patient. Modalities employed include somatosensory evoked potentials, motor evoked potentials,…
Bone Void Fillers: Bone and Bone Substitutes
Summary of Key Points • Bone grafting is a common procedure worldwide. Both autograft and allograft are safe and effective for use in patients. Autograft is the gold standard to…
