Surgery of the spine continues to be a key aspect of neurosurgery, constituting over half of all neurosurgical procedures. This issue of Neurosurgery Clinics investigates recent trends in minimally invasive methods. Article topics include minimally invasive approaches to cervical discectomy and foraminotomy, cervical decompression, thoracic discectomy and decompression, thoracoscopic spine surgery, deformity correction, lumbar discectomy and foraminotomy, lumbar decompression, fixation techniques, fusion techniques, and spinal tumors.

Preface by Richard G. Fessler ix The Development of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery by Mick J. Perez-Cruet 401 Endoscopic Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy and Discectomy by Mick J. Perez-Cruet 411 Minimally Invasive Cervical Stenosis Decompression by Sean D. Christie 423 Minimally Invasive Posterior Cervical Arthrodesis and Fixation by Larry T. Khoo 429 Thoracic Microendoscopic Discectomy by Richard G. Fessler 441 Thoracoscopy for Correction of Adult Thoracic Scoliosis by Dachling Pang 447 Minimally Invasive Lumbar Discectomy and Foraminotomy by John K. Song 459 Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression by Trent L. Tredway 467 Minimally Invasive Fusion and Fixation Techniques by Robert E. Isaacs 477 Minimally Invasive Approaches to Vertebral Column and Spinal Cord Tumors by Richard G. Fessler 491 Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty by Richard G. Fessler 507 Index 519