Microsurgery of the Cervical Spine

This provides step-by-step instructions for performing each surgical procedure, from pre-op preparation to induction of anesthesia, positioning of patient, instrumentation, type of incision and the techniques for performing microsurgery from both the anterior and posterior directions. Advice is also given on choosing and using operating microscopes and surgical instruments. In addition, there is guidance for minimizing complications and optimizing postoperative care. It explores a variety of pathological processes and operative methodologies. Among the topics examined are basic microsurgical approaches to the cervical spine, instrumentation applied to microsurgery, and complications, as well as microsurgical approaches to such conditions as soft disc protrusions, compression related to spondylosis, spinal tumors, and more. Complementing the text are more than 200 photographs and illustrations that give a surgeon's-eye view of the surgical procedures described, clarify the nuances and intricacies of the surgical techniques employed, and demonstrate how the skillful use of the operating microscope can increase the precision of surgical procedures on the spine and surrounding structures. The contributors are: Wolfhard Casper, Margaret H. Cooper, Haynes Louis Harkey, Paul C. McCormick, Bennett M. Stein, Vernon L. Yaeger and Paul A. Young.