Advanced techniques in complex cervical spine surgery
The cervical spine is the most mobile region of the spinal column and serves an integral role in activities of daily living. With an aging world population, cervical spine pathology is becoming an increasingly important cause for disability and reduced quality of life. In recent decades, advances in surgical techniques and instrumentation, development of new technologies such as stereotactic navigation and robotics, maturing understanding of cervical and global spinal alignment, as well as advancement in other fields of medicine have enabled spine surgeons to safely treat increasingly more complex pathology.
The purpose of this series is to provide the readers an overview of evidence-based, state-of-the-art management strategies and surgical techniques for complex cervical pathology. We have invited cervical spine experts from both neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery backgrounds to provide a comprehensive, interdisciplinary perspective. This series covers a wide range of topics, including cervical spine biomechanics, cervical spine alignment radiographic parameters, motion–preserving techniques (arthroplasty and laminoplasty), anterior techniques (ACDF, corpectomy, anterior foraminotomy), posterior techniques (OC fusion, C1-2 fusion, subaxial fixation techniques), cervical deformity correction techniques (anterior and posterior cervical osteotomies), along with surgical pearls, complication avoidance and discussions on the value of cervical spine surgery.
The contributing authors for this series include spine experts around the globe from Europe, Asia, North America and South America, providing a truly global perspective. We are very excited to share this series and hope you find it informative and valuable in the care of your patients.
Acknowledgments
Funding: None.
Footnote
Provenance and Peer Review: This article was commissioned by the Editorial Office, Journal of Spine Surgery for the series “Advanced Techniques in Complex Cervical Spine Surgery”. The article did not undergo external peer review.
Conflicts of Interest: The series “Advanced Techniques in Complex Cervical Spine Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. LAT serves as the unpaid editorial board member of Journal of Spine Surgery from Jan. 2019 to Jan. 2021. LAT and ISA served as the unpaid Guest Editors of the series.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
