Summary of Key Points • Preoperative evaluation of the patient scheduled for spine surgery most commonly focuses on functional capacity, neurologic assessment, and upper airway examination. • In patients undergoing…
Summary of Key Points • Management and maintenance of the facet joint’s functions are important concepts in lumbar spine surgery. • Several implant designs have been tested for use in…
Summary of Key Points • Spinal dysraphisms are a diverse group of congenital malformations with a wide spectrum of presentations. • Understanding normal nervous system development is crucial to understanding…
Summary of Key Points • Nucleus replacement and intradiscal electrothermal treatment evolved as options to treat discogenic back pain in patients with early nuclear degeneration with minimal or no collapse,…
Summary of Key Points Common indications for vascularized bone grafts include the following: • Bone graft greater than 5 cm. • Strut graft that will be more than 4 cm from the…
Summary of Key Points • Lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) has been studied extensively since its initial use in the 1980s in Europe. Results of long-term follow-up studies in Europe…
Summary of Key Points • At the thoracolumbar spine, a long and stiff kyphotic thoracic spine converts abruptly into a mobile lordotic lumbar spine, and this transition zone is susceptible…
Summary of Key Points • The endoscope provides unique capabilities for visualization in spine surgery. • Numerous applications of the endoscope are available in spine surgery; the least invasive of…
Summary of Key Points • Geriatric patients are the fastest growing segment of the population that may require spine surgery. • The degenerative cascade consists of a slow deterioration of…
Summary of Key Points • Minimally invasive lumbar fusion is being increasingly performed with A growing list of possible indications. • The goals of minimally invasive surgery are to decrease…
