Preface

Endoscopic surgery of the cervical spine is gaining increasing traction among minimally invasive spinal surgeons. Technology advances with improved miniaturized optical- and surgical access systems have purported expansion of endoscopic minimally invasive spinal surgery techniques into the cervical spine. However, many spine surgeons still hesitate to treat common painful conditions of the cervical spine with endoscopic procedures. The high risk of neurologic- and vascular injury is of concern to many of them. Additionally, damage to the trachea, esophagus, or the recurrent laryngeal nerve may put the patient at significant risk for the deleterious postoperative course. Nevertheless, increased acceptance of endoscopy by traditionally trained spine surgeons in other areas of the spine coupled with more widely available training events and unanswered patient demand has reenergized spine surgeons’ interest in the endoscopic platform for the cervical spine.

The editors have come together to develop a multi-authored and clinically focused medical monograph entitled Contemporary Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Cervical Spine to give the reader a most up-to-date snapshot of the current state-of-the-art of cervical spinal endoscopic surgeries. The publication is intended for Orthopedic Spine & Neurosurgeons interested in treating common painful conditions including herniated disc, stenosis, tumor, and infection with minimally invasive endoscopic techniques. A wide array of highly timely and clinically relevant topics have been assembled for this purpose. They range from suitable anesthesia protocols, patient selection algorithms for anterior versus posterior cervical endoscopic decompression, clinical decision-making strategies, indications, and outcomes for endoscopically visualized cervical rhizotomy to more advanced endoscopic techniques, including complex endoscopic decompression techniques for cervical spondylotic myelopathy and other intricate procedures such as pediculotomy, vertebrectomy, and fusion.

The selection of chapters was based on contemporary trends in endoscopic cervical spine surgery. The editors recognize that this trend is based on the need for less costly yet safe and efficient solutions for the cervical spine's common degenerative conditions. Patients and other stakeholders in the ongoing debate on better value-based spine care, including healthcare policymakers and payors, are demanding of spine surgeons less burdensome and less risky treatments with shorter time to recovery, return to work, and social reintegration following spine surgery. Contemporary Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Cervical Spine was written with these goals in mind. The editors hope that the readers will find it an informative knowledge resource they will continue to revert to when implementing a cervical endoscopic spinal surgery program in their practice setting.