Spine Surgery Tricks of the Trade

American Journal of Neuroradiology

Alexander R. Vaccaro and Todd J. Albert, eds. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2003, 212 pages, 302 illustrations, $149.95.

This book is divided into sections and chapters that are organized by region according to spinal level and procedure type. There are 13 sections and 86 chapters in total. Each chapter consists of a description of a separate operative procedure in spinal surgery. The authors of each chapter are experts in their respective fields of spine surgery and consist of orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and their trainees. Within each chapter a brief description of the operative procedure is discussed, as well as key principles, expectations, indications, contraindications, special considerations, special instructions, positions and anesthesia, tips and pearls from lessons learned, difficulties encountered, key procedure steps, pitfalls, and, finally, bail-out rescue and salvage procedures. Within each chapter, there are several black-and-white figures drawn by an artist that give a good rendition of the key operative steps of each procedure. These drawings are supplemented at times with postoperative radiographs.

This textbook is perfect for the trainee in either neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery, from junior residents to established spine fellows. Key surgical landmarks and techniques are reviewed. Of particular interest are the subsections on bail-out rescue and salvage procedures as referenced by experienced surgeons. Although this is not a key textbook for neuroradiologists, it may be of some value as a reference text. The descriptions of operative procedures and the drawings in particular allow the reader to appreciate key anatomic areas, surgical terms, and basic instrumentation used by the spine surgeon. Knowledge in these areas is clearly of use in interpreting postoperative radiologic imaging studies.

The subject material is adequately covered and extremely well organized, as all authors have conformed to the established guidelines of the text. This textbook compares favorably to similar texts, and because it is focused and well organized, the book efficiently communicates many complicated anatomic concepts as they relate to spine surgery. Because this is a book on techniques, there are essentially no references. The excellent artists’ renditions of 3D spinal anatomy are one of the key strengths of this text. I definitely recommend this as a book for postgraduate trainees in orthopedic and neurosurgery who perform spine surgery as a significant part of their education. The book would also serve well as a good reference text for the neuroradiologist.