The spine is a complicated structure that has led to great suffering and medical intrigue since antiquity. The process of being debilitated by spinal disease and subsequently reborn after a spinal intervention is a familiar story in our culture and in many cultures around the world. The ability for patients to continue in pain is unacceptable to most concerned parties, but unfortunately the solutions for this problem have also often proven to be fraught with issues. These solutions have included extensive and invasive surgeries, opioids, repetitive injections, and other passing trends that have not stood the test of evidence-based examination.

The continued quest to relieve pain and suffering in the twenty-first century has brought a desire for physicians, engineers, and industry to work together to achieve a goal of less invasive and more efficacious options for patients who suffer from spine-related maladies. This illustrated atlas is a modern update of these newly developed, cutting-edge procedures. Each chapter has an objective to create a roadmap to give optimal instruction regarding techniques, complication mitigation, and patient selection for better outcomes. This allows the physician to consider the critical steps of each method and the pearls of each treatment option. This layout allows for advancement of the physician who is learning these therapies such as residents and fellows but also allows for patient care improvement in the experienced hands of a seasoned doctor. This book goes beyond perceived boundaries of specialties, providing critical information and guidance to invasive pain specialists, anesthesiologists, physiatrist, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic spine surgeons.

In this colorful atlas, we examine minimally invasive options for treatment of ailments caused by the
disc, nerve, joint, ligament, and combined disease states involving multiple structures. For each procedure, we go by a step-by-step approach to help make the review of these methods easier for reference in the daily performance of these techniques. We are very proud of this atlas and greatly acknowledge the work of the many excellent physicians, researchers, and colleagues who participated in this book. Not only does their scholarly work make this book an excellent resource that should be in all libraries of those treating spinal disease, but the work of these amazing physicians advances the field daily in the United States and throughout the internationa community. We also acknowledge the critical eye and timely editorial guidance given to this project by Lee Klein, who did an extraordinary job. We are hopeful that this illustrated atlas meets our primary goal. That objective is to elevate patient care and improve outcomes. This goal of helping our patients is why we continue to strive continuously to improve care and to serve those who need our assistance to reduce suffering and improve quality of life.

Sudhir Diwan
Timothy R. Deer
New York, NY, USA, Charleston, WV, USA