Spine Disorders: Medical and Surgical Management

The authors of this work set out to produce a text that is clinically oriented, focusing on the evaluation and management of spine disorders that are frequently seen by primary practitioners. This project stems from a popular course given for many years at the annual American Academy of Neurology meetings. It is a text with clear organization covering basic anatomy and pathophysiology; the authors then focus on each region of the spine (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar). The chapters that follow cover the specifics of diagnostic testing, imaging, and indications for surgical referral, as well as the basics of surgical intervention. There is a clear focus on mechanical disorders, and expanding on vascular, inflammatory, and neoplastic conditions should be considered for future editions. This is not so much a weakness because this is not meant to be a subspecialty text. The final appendix is a very nice inventory of clinical pearls drawn from the years of clinical experience shared by the authors.