Spine Surgery Basics (eBook)

Dr. Patel serves as the chief of orthopaedic spine surgery at the University of Colorado. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and worked as an engineer before earning a combined master's of arts and medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis. He currently focuses on spinal non-fusion technologies, including disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, alternative bone graft materials for fusion, minimally invasive surgical techniques and computer-assisted surgery. He has extensive clinical and surgical experience with cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal disorders.

General: Anatomy.- Physical Exam: Cervical.- Physical Exam: Lumbosacral.- Imaging Basics (basics of anatomy on radiographic imaging plus bone scans, DEXA, etc.).- Diagnostic Evaluations (injections, EMG, etc).- General Surgical Principles (guidelines for informed consent, patient positioning for surgery, equipment needed, post operative considerations).- Surgical Approaches.- Cervical and Thoracic Instrumentation.- Lumbar and Lumbosacral Instrumentation.- Bone graft and Bone Substitute Biology.- Neuromonitoring. Degenerative Spine: Cervical Disc Herniation and Radiculopathy.- Cervical Stenosis and Myelopathy.- Thoracic Disc Herniation.- Lumbar Disc Herniation.- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.- Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.- Spondylolysis and Isthmic spondylolisthesis.- Degenerative Disc Disease with and without Facet Arthritis.- Degenerative Spinal Scoliosis/Deformity. Pediatric Spine: Scoliosis.- Kyphosis.- Congenital.- Spondylolysis and Isthmic Spondylolisthesis.- Spondylolysis and Isthmic Spondylolisthesis.- Occipital and Upper cervical spine (Occ-C2).- Sub-axial cervical spine (C2-C7).- Thoracolumbar spine (T1-L2).- Low lumbar spine (L3-L5).- Sacral spine and pelvis.- Acute Spinal Cord Injury. Tumor, Infection, Inflammatory and Metabolic Conditions: Primary spine tumors.- Primary spine tumors.- Metastatic spine tumors.- Primary spine infections.- Intradural spine tumors.- Rheumatoid Arthritis.- Ankylosing Spondylitis and DISH.- Osteoporosis and the Aging Spine. Complications: Postoperative Infection.- Dural tear.- Neurological injury.- Pseudarthrosis/Nonunion.- Pseudarthrosis/Nonunion.- Medical complications (VTE, Pneumonia, Cardiac Disease, Mortality).