Summary of Key Points • Spinal dura is thinner than cranial dura due to its single histologic layer and as such it is more prone to tear. • Idiopathic spinal…

Summary of Key Points • Penetrating injuries are a significant cause of spinal cord injury. • Injury mechanism and magnitude of injuries guide treatment of penetrating spinal injury. • Non-neurologic…

Summary of Key Points • Adult degenerative scoliosis arises after skeletal maturity in a previously normally aligned spine. • Sagittal radiographic spinopelvic parameters are highly correlated with pain and disability…

Summary of Key Points • Spinal deformity is defined as a deviation from normal spinal alignment. Standard deviations of normal parameters suggest a wide variation in normal alignment and should…

Summary of Key Points • Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by inflammatory back pain and potential progression to disability and deformity. • Clinical characteristics of…

Summary of Key Points • Decision making in complex spinal problems can be made easier by applying a systematic approach. • “Problem, Goals, Tools, Plan” is a scheme that can…

Summary of Key Points • Spinal deformity must be a major consideration in developing a surgical management strategy in the degenerative spine. • Preoperative planning and careful patient selection are…

Summary of Key Points • Sagittal plane imbalance resulting from spondylolisthesis is often a greater cause of disability than the spondylolisthesis itself. • The generally accepted means of surgical treatment…

Summary of Key Points • Condyle fractures can be a form of atlanto-occipital dislocation and may need to be managed surgically when there is alar ligament disruption or neural compression….

Summary of Key Points • Imaging the spine after trauma should be rapid, accurate, and performed in concordance with the primary and secondary trauma survey. • High-quality computed tomography imaging…