Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Treatments

Preface 

Chapter 1. The Pathophysiology of Intervertebral Disc Disease
(Akwasi Ofori Boah, Nancy Abu-Bonsrah, C. Rory Goodwin, and Daniel Sciubba, Departments of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA) 

Chapter 2. Nerve Structures Inside the Intervertebral Disc: A Possible Link to Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Disease 
(Manuel D. Oprea, Anca Maria Cimpean, Marius Raica, and Dan V. Poenaru, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania) 

Chapter 3. Spinal Biomechanics
(James Pan, Arjun V. Pendharkar and Jongsoo Park, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA) 

Chapter 4. Cervical Stenosis
(Thomas Kosztowski, Adetokunbo Oyelese and Ziya Gokaslan, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA, and others) 

Chapter 5. Thoracic Disc Herniations 
(Nathan E. Simmons, Division of Neurosurgery, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA) 

Chapter 6. Surgical Management of Cervical Disc Herniation 
(Vinod K. Ravikuzmar, Jennifer L. Quon, Allen L. Ho, and Ali K. Ozturk, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA, and others) 

Chapter 7. Lumbar Stenosis: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Treatment 
(Daniel Shepherd, Panagiotis Kerezoudis, Michelle J. Clarke, and Mohamad Bydon, Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA, and others) 

Chapter 8. Lumbar Disc Herniations
(Ajit Jada, Roger Härtl and Ali Baaj, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NY, USA) 

Chapter 9. Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis 
(Sam Cartmell, Eric S. Sussman and John K. Ratliff, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA) 

Chapter 10. Emerging Treatments for Intervertebral Disc Disease  
(Gregory D. Arnone, Shivani Rangwala and Ankit I. Mehta, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA) 

Index

Degenerative disc disease is a significant component of spine disorders and lower back pain that now afflicts nearly one third of the adult population. This represents a significant morbidity and cost burden — nearly a tenth of all health-care spending — that is only increasing in prevalence as the elderly population continues to grow. While current treatment modalities, ranging from conservative approaches to surgical interventions, are continually evolving, new therapies for intervertebral disc disease are also in development. Increased research on the cellular mechanisms underlying DDD have led to novel cell-based treatments which aim to delay rates of degeneration. Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Treatments is a comprehensive text on all facets of the disease process that covers the pathophysiology, biomechanics, as well as the location specific pathology and treatment options for degenerative disc disease. Written by nationally renowned experts in neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery of the spine, each chapter is a thorough, cogent discussion of an essential topic related to intervertebral disc degeneration that includes many original, easy to understand figures and illustrations. Also included are overviews of the most cutting-edge and emerging surgical and biologic management options of disc disease at all levels of the spine.