Emerging Spine Surgery Technologies: Evidence and Framework for Evaluating New Technology

Today's spinal surgeons are poised at the threshold of technological
breakthroughs that will enable them to restore the disc to like-new
performance, make every fusion a certainty, and reverse osteoporotic
fractures ... all with minimally invasive procedures. Yet several of
the final barriers to success are unlike those faced by earlier
researchers and clinicians.

EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
Evidence-based medicine, which requires different and more stringent
clinical studies than those required for regulatory approval, is now
the dominant decision methodology demanded by payers of health care.
This is where the treatments to be used by tomorrow's spinal surgeon
will be made or broken. To ensure reimbursement, physicians must have
access to scientific evidence that a new product is not only safe and
effective but also appropriate for a specific condition. This
comprehensive book provides a solid evidence-based foundation for
evaluating the exciting new developments in the spine surgery arena.
It is essential reading for all spine surgeons.

Emerging Spinal Surgery Technologies presents the methods from which
the gold standard of the next decade will most likely emerge. It
thoroughly details what lies on the horizon in every discipline
dedicated to treatment of the spine. And it outlines the many new
considerations뾈DA approval and ever-rising reimbursement standards
by Medicare and the major health insurers뾲hat will influence the
course of future developments.

LEADING AUTHORITIES
Chapters by distinguished figures in each field preview the most
promising developments in biologic and tissue engineering as
applicable to spine fusion, repair and regeneration of the
intervertebral disc, and spinal cord repair and regeneration.
Chapters describing the leading methods of surgical navigation, often
required to verify placement of devices and to visualize anatomy, are
also included.

STEP-BY-STEP SURGICAL TECHNIQUE FOR ALL MAJOR PROCEDURES
Readers will find authoritative, step-by-step descriptions of the
entire spectrum of surgical techniques and methods for spinal
implants and disc replacements. In each chapter the authors outline
patient indications and then guide the reader through the intricacies
of each procedure. Numerous photographs and radiographs as well as
ample boxes and tables add further detail. In addition, tips and
tricks, problems and complications, as well as results and benefits
are discussed. For devices still in clinical trial, the authors
discuss the testing done to date and trial results.