Vialle LR, ed. Ito M, Riew KD, guest eds. Cervical Degenerative Conditions. AOSpine Masters Series. Volume 3. Thieme; 2014; 148 pp; 112 ill; $109.99
The newest volume (2014) in the continuing series of short textbooks in the AOSpine Masters Spine is this 148-page hardcover book entitled Cervical Degenerative Conditions, edited by Dr. Vialle. There are 11 chapters: Laminoplasty for Multilevel Myelopathy and Radiculomyelopathy; Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion Techniques; Indications and Techniques of Cervical Pedicle Screws C3-7 for Degenerative Conditions; Laminectomy and Fusion for Cervical Spondylitic Myelopathy; Posterior Cervical Minimally Invasive Microendoscopic Foraminotomy; Navigation for Cervical Reconstructive Surgery; Cervical Disk Arthroplasty; Cervical Sagittal Balance; Complications of Anterior Surgery; Adjacent Segment Pathology of the Cervical Spine; and Upper Cervical Screw-Fixation Techniques. Twenty-seven authors contribute to these 11 chapters.
While looking at the titles of these chapters, a neuroradiologist might think that this material is not germane to his/her practice; in fact, the opposite is true. For those practicing at a high-volume neurosurgery/orthopedic spine centers, understanding what the surgeons do and why they do it is important for consultations, and interpretations of both pre- and postoperative images. A number of MRIs and CTs in the book illustrate important points, but more critical is the inclusion of drawings and intraoperative photographs, which allows one to develop a good understanding of the multiple approaches to degenerative spine disease. With this information one can make more cogent dictations of the postoperative studies and, as a side benefit, may find the interpretation of postoperative images (often felt to be uninteresting) more interesting.
While the chapters do not follow an identical format, there are in each chapter some historial perspectives for the procedure undertaken, specific indications for the procedure, actual surgical techniques, and consideration of patient results. The included drawings enhance one’s understanding of the varied operations.
There are areas one could comment on that make this book valuable to neuroradiologists—for example, the evolution to the widely used expansile open-door laminoplasty and how exactly it is done; surgical measures taken to correct for cervical kyphosis or scoliosis; pedicle morphology and the imaging implications; the little appreciated cord/lamina angle relative to the chances of developing a postoperative C5 palsy; how cervical neuronavigation is utilized; measurements of cervical balance; complications of anterior cervical surgery (critical imaging observations); adjacent level degeneration; and C1-C2 cervical screw positioning and insertion. Many more similar examples could be cited describing why this book is engrossing and therefore recommended as an individual or departmental purchase.
