Baaj AA, Kakarla UK, Kim HJ. Surgery of the Thoracic Spine: Principal and Techniques. Thieme 2019;318 pp; 147 ill; $199.99.

Edited by 2 neurosurgeons (Dr. Baaj—Cornell; Dr. Kakarla—Barrow Neurological Institute) and one orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Kim—HSS) this 318 page book, Surgery of the Thoracic Spine: Principles and Techniques has 5 sections and contributions from 83 authors.

The introductory section includes 5 topics—those of most interest are the chapters on biomechanics of the thoracic spine, clinical presentations of thoracic cord compression, and non-operative diseases of the thoracic cord—all are well-illustrated and written). From there, follows major sections on spine deformity (6 chapters), degenerative disease (4 chapters), infection (3 chapters), tumors/vascular (5 chapters), trauma (5 chapters), and 3 chapters on topics which do not fit easily into the above sections.

Neuroradiologists would be best served by reading the parts of this book related to understanding various surgical approaches to a spectrum of thoracic spine disorders, thus making interpretation of both pre-operative and post-operative images more meaningful and accurate. For example, in the deformities section, one can read the classifications of congenital scoliosis, how surgeons use those terms, and what corrective measures can be taken. Diagnosis, both in this chapter, and elsewhere in the book, help to explain the surgical approaches.

The book, especially in this section, would have benefited from better imaging. For example, in the chapter on Scheuermann’s kyphosis, the 2 plain films and one MR are poor and don’t show the anterior wedge deformities. Similarly, there is a failure to show the prominent MR features of spondyloarthropathies.

In the chapter on osteoporotic compression fractures, the material is scanty, with no descriptions of exactly how the vertebroplasties are done and the considerations which go into details of what factors to consider before and during the procedure. In future editions, the editors should pay closer attention to the image quality in some chapters (windowing, size of images, etc.).

Overall, for radiologists (either neuro or musculoskeletal) who deal closely with orthopedics or neurosurgeons, this book would be a valuable addition to their library.