Principles of Microsurgery for Lumbar Disc Disease

This complete, step-by-step guide covers all aspects of microsurgery of the spine, from preoperative evaluation of patients to choice of instruments, surgical techniques, and postoperative care. The clearly written text is complemented by more than 500 scans, photographs, and drawings that aid in interpreting preoperative radiologic findings and depict key surgical maneuvers.The book begins with reviews of information essential to diagnosis and treatment planning, including surgical anatomy of the lumbar spine; biology and pathology of lumbar disc disease; pathogenesis of sciatica; and the clinical syndrome of lumbar root compression caused by a herniated nucleus pulposus. A chapter on patient evaluation highlights the vital role of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging and contains numerous illustrative scans.The author thoroughly describes the instrumentation used in microsurgery and explains how to choose the appropriate microscope and instruments. Extensively illustrated chapters guide the reader through the actual surgical techniques and offer advice on control of bleeding, postoperative care, and prevention of complications. The author also assesses results of experimental microsurgery for microdiscectomy, microdecompression, spinal stenosis, unilateral and bilateral spinal fusions, and cystectomy.