Cervical Spondylosis and Other Disorders of the Cervical Spine

This disorder is defined as a condition in which there is a progressive degeneration of the intervertebral disks leading to changes in the surrounding structures. Scarcely recognized 20 years ago, these changes are now known to produce a painful neck, headache, radicular syndrome, changes in the spinal cord, and interference with blood supply to the brain. The fourth of the book devoted to anatomy is profusely illustrated but overly detailed for the average reader. Pathology is properly emphasized since the irreversible changes are so important for evaluation of treatment and prognosis.

Radiologist Allan Young emphasizes the value of flexion-extension views of the neck and points out how varying measurements of the spinal canal may explain absence or presence of symptoms. The role of myelography is considered, although pneumomyelography is not illustrated. He dismisses diskography as having no useful role in study of the cervical spine, while