The Growing Spine

Spinal disorders in very young children may be caused by a variety of conditions. The treatment of such conditions is often challenging due to the age of the patient and the progressive nature of the deformity. There also may be associated problems such as congenital anomalies, respiratory insufficiency, and neurological problems. Depending on the etiology of the deformity, these children are often cared for by multiple specialists including pediatricians, pediatric orthopaedists or orthopaedic spine surgeons, neurologists, pediatric surgeons, pediatric neurosurgeons, oncologists, and/or pulmonologists. Health professionals in all of the mentioned disciplines are involved in the management of these patients, which is why compiling a comprehensive textbook that is not limited to orthopedic specialists is essential. This textbook will effectively help to standardize the care of these patients. Furthermore, other professionals such as nurses, physical therapists and healthcare professionals in training are usually not familiar with these conditions and are in need of a reference book to consult when caring for children with spinal deformities.

• Congenital
• Deformity
• Fusion
• Pediatric
• Trauma
• Tumor
• biomechanics
• surgery
• visual evoked potential (VEP)

From the reviews:

“This text on the Pediatric Spine is a very good illustration of occult dysraphism, with anterior, esp; posterior instrumentation to correct kyphosis and scoliosis in young adults (10-14 yo). I recommend it for pediatricians and as supplementary reading for orthopaedic surgeons. The book has an international authorship which is another advantage.” (Joseph J. Grenier, Amazon.com, December, 2013)

“This is the first textbook entirely devoted to this topic. It is an international compilation of the current concepts of evaluation and treatment of deformities of the growing spine. … ‘The Growing Spine’ is an outstanding textbook that presents all the current knowledge about evaluation and treatment of spine deformities in young children. It will an essential tool for all the professionals involved in this field : pediatricians, pediatric spine surgeons, and ICU physicians, physical therapists.” (Pierre Kehr, European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, Vol. 22, 2012)

“Spinal disorders that present at birth or arise soon thereafter are the ones that most threaten a person’s quality and duration of life. It is this … group that this unique, timely, and much-needed book focuses upon. … The book is directed at orthopedic surgeons … . It also will be useful to fellows and residents. … This is an outstanding contribution to our orthopedic surgical literature. … The information is current and the bibliography is well chosen, yet succinct.” (Samuel J. Chmell, Doody’s Review Service, March, 2011)

“This excellent multiauthored book … illustrates the whole spectrum of the pediatric disorders which may affect the growth of the spine, from the neonatal period to adolescence. … Altogether, the 50 chapters which make up the volume, all of them written in a concise and extremely didactic style, represent a unique reference source for the pediatric neurosurgeon willing to explore the field of spinal surgery … .” (Concezio Di Rocco, Child’s Nervous System, Vol. 27, 2011)

• Orthopaedic Surgery, San Diego Medical Director, San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders, University of California, La Jolla, USA

  Behrooz A. Akbarnia

• Orthopaedic Surgery Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

  Muharrem Yazici

• Pediatric Orthopaedics Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA

  George H. Thompson

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