Spine Disorders

An essential, one-stop reference guide to the evaluation and treatment of patients with cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine disease. Based on a course taught by these highly respected authors at the American Academy of Neurology's Annual Meeting, this volume gives concise descriptions of the anatomy of spine conditions; neurologic and physical findings; advice on diagnostic tests and when to order them; and medical and surgical treatment options. Commonly performed spinal procedures are also described, including the rapidly changing field of minimally invasive surgery. Pitfalls of evaluating and treating spine patients are highlighted, along with advice on how to approach the patient who does not improve or worsens after spine surgery. Spine Disorders: Medical and Surgical Management is an essential purchase for all practitioners in this field. - Co-authored by a neurologist and a neurosurgeon - provides readers with a balanced approach to the patient with a spine disorder - Based on the authors' extensive clinical and pedagogical experience - provides expert opinion on management, including examples of previous mistakes in diagnosis and management - Easy-to-read tables give a quick, clear guide to diagnosis and treatment - Examples of previous mistakes within diagnosis and management help care providers to avoid similar errors - Sections on diagnostic imaging help the care provider to exchange meaningful information with radiology colleagues Contents Preface; Glossary; 1. Introduction; 2. The cervical level; 3. The thoracic level; 4. The lumbar level; 5. Diagnostic testing in the patient with spine and limb pain; 6. When and to whom to refer your patients for spine surgery; 7. What to do when the patient has persistent or new symptoms following surgery; 8. Spinal imaging and diagnostic tests: considerations for surgical diagnosis and pre-operative planning; 9. Disorders of the cervical spine: pre-operative assessment and surgical management; 10. Disorders of the thoracic spine: pre-operative assessment and surgical management; 11. Disorders of the lumbar spine: pre-operative assessment and surgical management; 12. Minimally invasive spine surgery; 13. New technology in spine surgery; 14. Medical management of the spine surgery patient: pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative considerations; Appendix. Please don't make my mistakes