Nucleus Augmentation
22 Nucleus Augmentation Thomas J. Raley, Qi-Bin Bao and Hansen A. Yuan Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition that affects the majority of the population1,2 and economically impacts…
Presurgical Psychological Screening
16 Presurgical Psychological Screening William W. Deardorff Someone once said, “There is no medical condition that cannot be made worse by surgery,” and this certainly holds true in the area…
Biologics for Spinal Fusion
30 Biologics for Spinal Fusion Wellington K. Hsu and Jeffrey C. Wang Spinal arthrodesis presents several obstacles to even the most experienced spine surgeon. Despite the use of internal fixation,…
Provocative Testing (Discography)
15 Provocative Testing (Discography) Eugene J. Carragee and Angus S. Don Lumbar back pain is extremely common, but most cases are self-limiting with no functional deficit. Nevertheless, even when diagnostic…
Cognitive Therapy for Symptomatic Disc Degeneration
19 Cognitive Therapy for Symptomatic Disc Degeneration Donna D. Ohnmeiss The importance of psychological factors in chronic back pain patients has been consistently well documented for many years. They affect…
The Role of Education and Back Schools
18 The Role of Education and Back Schools Gunnar B. J. Andersson All physicians should be educators. Our patients deserve to know about their health and diseases, diagnosis, treatments, and…
Biomechanics of the Lumbar Intervertebral Disc
4 Biomechanics of the Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Michael N. Tzermiadianos and Avinash G. Patwardhan A disc comprises three distinct parts: the nucleus pulposus (NP), the anulus fibrosus (AF), and the…
The Epidemiology and Economics of Intervertebral Disc Disease
1 The Epidemiology and Economics of Intervertebral Disc Disease Maneesh Bawa and Scott D. Boden Epidemiology Epidemiology refers to the study of occurrence rates and provides important insights into understanding…
Minimally Invasive Cement-Augmented Pedicle Screw Fixation
Risk factors (predictors of low bone mass) Inconsistent predictors of low bone mass Female sex Levels of exercise in childhood and adolescence Increased age Use of alcohol- and caffeine-containing beverages…
Lumbar Endoscopic Fusion
Fig. 21.1 Different endoscopic approaches to the spine: 1, endoscopically assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (ETLIF); 2, endoscopic lateral lumbar interbody fusion (ELLIF); 3, laparoscopic anterior lumbar interbody fusion (LALIF);…
