Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion
Anterior approaches to the cervical spine were first described contemporaneously in 1958 by Cloward 1 and Smith and Robinson 2. Since its introduction, anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) has…
Carpal Tunnel Release
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy, affecting approximately 2% of men and 3% of women, most commonly between 40 and 60 years of age. 1 The…
Unilateral Diskectomy through a Midline Incision
Back pain is one of the most common complaints in the patient population as a whole. 1 Over a period of 7 years, from 2000 to 2007, the total number…
Surgical Exposure of Peripheral Nerves of the Upper Extremity. I: Median Nerve
Surgical exposure of the median nerve in the arm and forearm is used for decompression of nerve entrapments, resection of nerve sheath tumors, as well as repair of injured nerves…
Surgical Exposure of Peripheral Nerves of the Lower Extremity. II. Femoral Nerve, Saphenous Nerve, Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve, and Sural Nerve
Clinical Anatomy of the Femoral Nerve The femoral nerve originates in the retroperitoneum from the lumbar plexus. The main motor component innervates the iliacus and psoas muscles, and the quadriceps…
Ulnar Neurolysis (Simple Decompression) for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
The first description of surgical treatment for ulnar neuropathy around the elbow occurred in 1816 when Henry Earle described transecting the ulnar nerve before it enters the cubital tunnel in…
Ulnar Nerve Submuscular Transposition
Ulnar nerve entrapment (UNE) at the elbow, also known as cubital tunnel syndrome, is the second most common upper extremity focal neuropathy after carpal tunnel syndrome. The cubital tunnel is…
Vertebroplasty
Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive technique in which polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), anacrylic bone cement is injected under radiological guidance into a vertebral body to relieve pain and provide strength…
Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
As described by Dr. Robert Cloward in 1953, posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) was originally performed using structural iliac crest bone graft and no supplemental internal fixation. Excellent results were…
Sublaminar Wiring Techniques in the Thoracolumbar Spine
Sublaminar wiring techniques became popularized in the 1980s with the introduction of the Luque rectangle method of segmental spinal instrumentation for deformity correction. In contrast to the hook-distraction rod methods…
