Similarly, there is no discussion or review of the indications and contraindications or complications of spinal surgery. The book is divided into 15 chapters, based on anatomic approaches, with several additional chapters on specific topics such as spondylolisthesis and myelomeningocele. Each chapter consists of a set of illustrations with accompanying narrative text that relates directly to each illustration. Each section depicts a specific surgical procedure. I found the illustrations clear, concise and realistic.
All figures are in black and white with nerve structures occasionally highlighted in yellow.
The strength of this text lies in its very descriptive illustrations, the narrative style of the text and the division of each chapter into sections dealing with specific surgical procedures. The text is filled with helpful technical points, which are practical and realistic. Two chapters that are mandatory reading for orthopedic trainees are the ones on application of a halo and on taking bone grafts. A daunting task facing an author contemplating the production of a text on spinal surgery is the overwhelming variety of spinal implants currently available. The authors of this book have circumvented the problem by describing the implantation of generic devices in appropriate chapters.