Plastic Neurosurgery - Opening and Closing Neurosurgical Doors in Adults and Children

This is the definitive text for the intersection of neurosurgery and plastic surgery, a crucial and undertreated subject. It is a comprehensive, stand-alone and topically organized book that provides a synthesis of information, experience and wisdom for practitioners of adult and pediatric neurosurgery, including all subspecialties.

The first of the three parts of the book includes foundational information on normal and abnormal anatomy, wound healing and surgical details for the management of skin, fascia, muscle, bone and dura, important subjects which receive little attention in neurosurgical literature. The second part of the book consists of descriptions of the plastic components - i.e., the opening and closing for neurosurgical approaches. Neurosurgical approaches are presented in three groups: intracranial, spinal and exposure of peripheral nerves. The plastic neurosurgical concerns for each approach are emphasized, and each chapter includes citations of relevant sources. The third part of the book presents the plastic neurosurgery of cranial and craniofacial disorders and the role of neurosurgeons in these surgeries, which are often performed with plastic surgeons. 

All neurosurgeons, particularly in the formative years of their residencies and fellowships, should learn and never forget not only the what and how but also the why of the plastic components of neurosurgery. This text fills this important gap in the literature. 

Ken Rose Winston, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO, USA

Lawrence L. Ketch, MD, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO, USA