108 Book Reviews / Surgical Neurology 66 (2006) 107 – 109
Obviously, the chapters dealing with disorders amenable
to surgery, as described above, are the most useful to the
neurosurgery audience. The reviewer specifically recom-
mends reading the chapters entitled Acute Parkinsonism (1),
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (4), Dystonic Storm
(8), Pseudodystonic Emergencies, Tardive-Neuroleptic In-
duced Emergencies (10), Hemiballism-Hemichorea (11),
Sydenham’s Chorea (12), Acute Spinal Rigidity (13),
Tic Emergencies (14), and Dopa-Responsive Dystonia
(19). These chapters offer knowledge that must be engrained
in the minds of neurosurgeons working with patients who
have movement disorder. Unfortunately, the editors failed to
touch on the movement disorder emergencies after surgery,
such as failure of deep brain stimulator battery, infection
of the device, erosion of the hardware through the skin,
how to proceed to imaging studies when harboring a
stimulation device, and many other situations that are now
common in emergency rooms receiving patients with
movement disorders.
In summary, this is a useful text for neurosurgeons, who
should also take advantage of the CD-ROM accompanying
the book. The CD-ROM is very didactic and presents the
classic clinical features of each movement disorder dis-
cussed. The duration of the case presentation is timewise
and objective.
Alessandra Gorgulho, MD
Stereotactic Surgery Section
Neurosurgery Division
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Antonio A.F. De Salles, MD, PhD
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2006.03.021
Arthroscopic and endoscopic spinal surgery, text and
atlas, 2nd ed
Edited by: JP Kambin
New Jersey7 The Humana Press; 2005.
ISBN: 1-588-29-522-2; 376 pp; $175.
Rating: ***
Recommended audience: neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons.
As the field of spinal surgery has continued to become
more minimally invasive over the past decade, neuro-
surgeons and orthopedic spine specialists are required to
learn ever more modern techniques. The second edition of
Arthroscopic and Endoscopic Spinal Surgery provides an
overview of these evolving therapies. This text is of interest
to residents, fellows, and experienced spine surgeons who
wish to broaden their understanding of modern endoscopic
surgical techniques.
Dr Kambin begins by providing a historical perspective
of surgical management of herniated lumbar discs with
emphasis on the anatomical constraints involved in surgery
of the lumbar spine. He explains the diagnostic features of
lumbar radiculopathy including clinical tests required for
appropriate surgical decision making. The proper operative
setup including patient positioning, radiographic localiza-
tion, and surgical exposures is described with superb
fluoroscopic illustration and diagrammatic representations.
Several techniques to avoid complications with needle
insertion, periannular hemorrhage, and postoperative dyses-
thesia are also described in detail.
Surgical techniques to address discogenic pain related to
segmental instability are described in chapter 5. The
indications for minimally invasive percutaneously inserted
pedicular bolts with the initial trajectories required for
successful placement are clearly demonstrated in the associ-
ated figures. In addition to segmental fixation, the authors
describe diagnostic and therapeutic percutaneous transpedic-
ular approaches for biopsies of lesions involving vertebral
body structures. Transpedicular discectomy techniques with
fluoroscopic guidance are presented with exceptional clarity
for such disorders as spondylodiscitis. Likewise, the equip-
ment and techniques developed for selective endoscopic
discectomies are described in detail. Past experiences with the
use of chymopapain, chromodiscography, and various lasers
for soft tissue ablation are discussed along with the specific
inclusion/exclusion criteria for endoscopic spinal procedures.
In addition to disk disorders, the text provides details for
management of osteoporotic compression fractures. Conser-
vative and operative options, including percutaneous verte-
broplasty and kyphoplasty, are presented in detail. A critical
review of the published data regarding these techniques
provides the reader with exceptional perspective regarding
the outcomes and potential complications associated with
restoration of vertebral body height. However, specific
details about the surgical techniques required to perform
these techniques are conspicuously lacking in this section.
Adjunctive therapies for pain management are presented
with ample description. These therapies, including radio-
frequency medial branch ablations, epidural steroid injec-
tions, sacroiliac injections, and zygapophyseal joint blocks,
provide important information for surgeons who may be less
familiar with them. Considerations regarding needle selec-
tion and placement with specific imaging techniques are
detailed and complete. In addition, the text provides
information regarding more recent developments in spine
surgery including minimally invasive nucleus replacement.
The biomechanical considerations and possible complica-
tions associated with implantable hydrogel materials are well
organized. Also, the use of interspinous process distraction
devices such as X-Stop is included. Results of positional
magnetic resonance studies before and after placement of
interspinous distraction provide intriguing data for this
application in patients with lateral recess and central canal
stenosis. Likewise, the clinical applications of frameless
stereotactic imaging as an adjunct to the surgeon’s skill and
knowledge of spinal anatomy provide insight into future
applications for minimally invasive surgical techniques.
 Book Reviews / Surgical Neurology 66 (2006) 107 – 109
The editor has a conspicuously high profile in the text, as
solo author on 6 of the 19 chapters. Also, the chapter entitled
History of Lumbar Disk Surgery is mostly the evolution of his
own involvement with development of minimally invasive
discectomy techniques. Included are historical artifacts
including reproduction of a 1981 Human Subjects Committee
permission letter and photographs of the author at confer-
ences. On balance, this text provides a well-developed
presentation of recent and emerging techniques for sophis-
ticated spinal surgery approaches that enable the surgeon to
avoid disruption of supporting soft tissue structures. Dr
Kambin and colleagues have herein provided an insightful
and detailed contribution to this promising field.
Donald Shields, MD
Duncan Q. McBride, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Harbor UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, CA 90509, USA
doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2006.03.020
Surgical Anatomy and Techniques to the Spine
Edited by: DH Kim, JS Henn, AR Vaccaro, CA Dickman
New York7 Saunders Elsevier; 2006.
ISBN #1-4160-0313-4; 544 pp; $199.
Rating: ****
Recommended audience: spine surgeons — neurosurgeons and orthopedic
surgeons, professors, students, and residents.
The structure of this outstanding book, with a chapter
dedicated to a specific surgical approach, clearly illustrates the
anatomical landmarks and the challenges faced during any
given spinal procedure. Every major approach and pathology
is demonstrated, although some techniques are more heavily
represented than others. The text is succinct and direct, which
offers an excellent understanding of the approach in a small
amount of time. The anatomical sections of every chapter
present the different structures and landmarks, which are later
put into practice in the technical sections. Furthermore, the
chapters present an honest view of the approaches, listing the
indications and contraindications as well as the potential
complications and tips for postoperative care of the patients, in
relation to the specific procedures.
This is a beautifully illustrated book. The focus is
on the surgical anatomy, and the book is really an atlas.
109
The editors take advantage of multiple techniques to
illustrate the text, including schematic drawings, cadaver
specimens, intraoperative photography, x-ray, magnetic
resonance imaging, and computed tomographic scan
imaging. The see-through drawings are particularly helpful
at depicting both the anatomy that the surgeon will be
facing during the procedure, as well as those structures
normally hidden but that could be mistakenly injured.
Furthermore, great care has been taken to clearly illustrate
newer minimally invasive surgical techniques such as the
percutaneous microdiskectomy.
The accompanying CD-ROM improves the versatility of
the book. The built-in search engine allows quickly finding
the relevant images and captions. The impressive amount
of images and clarity of the pictures contained on the
CD-ROM essentially allows the resident or surgeon to
review the anatomy of an entire procedure a few minutes
before the operation. The format allows the user to easily
carry and present the information in places where a book
would be cumbersome: operating room or conference room.
In that vein, an institutional license that would allow
password-secured networking of the CD-ROM material
would be greatly beneficial for hospitals that could offer
their staff intranet access to this educational content.
Overall, Surgical Anatomy and Techniques to the Spine
is an excellent guide for spine surgeons at any level to gain
better understanding of the complex anatomy and
approaches involved in today’s spinal techniques. The
quality of the illustrations will provide surgeons, teachers,
students, and residents ample information to understand the
anatomy of virtually any spinal operation. We expect our
copy to become tattered rapidly.
Jean-Phillippe Langevin, MD
Duncan Q. McBride, MD
Department of Neurosurgery
Harbor UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, CA 90509, USA
doi:10.1016/j.surneu.2006.03.019
note: Ratings indicate the book’s value to its intended audience, not its
overall quality. Therefore, a one-star rating means that, although the book
may be interesting and well-written, it is not necessarily an important
resource; a four-star rating indicates that the book is strongly recommended.