Spine Classifications and Severity Measures

Care of spinal conditions has become increasingly complex and confusing. Classification systems can help in understanding the subject matter at hand, but have exploded in numbers and complexity. Attempts at extracting classifications of spinal disorders are cumbersome and require careful study of numerous reference books without achieving a comprehensive overview in the end. This one of a kind reference text summarizes over 185 spine classification or severity easures with standardized art work, provides ratings and critical evaluations of pertinent strengths and weaknesses in a concise and systematic fashion and provides help in:Studying spinal disease conditionsPreparing informed treatment decisionsCommunicating individual patient disease severityEvaluating publications regarding treatment results and successFormulating spinal research projectsProviding a scientific reference toolThe book is divided into two major systemsDisease severity:General disease severityInstabilityOsteoporosisStenosisSpinal deformityDegenerative disordersInfectionTumorHeterotopic ossificationTrauma severity:General trauma scoresSpinal cord injuryFracture classificationsAll identified measures within each of category are formally reviewed and displayed in a unique visually friendly manner containing:A one of a kind compendium of high quality diagrams for each severity measure or classification system with unrivaled specificity and detailThe content of each measure and whether it incorporates the critically important ABCDs of disease severity including: an anatomicalcomponent, a biomechanical component, a clinical component, and the degree of severity component:A summary of the measures validity, reliability, and predictive ability with corresponding patient populationsAn evaluation of each measure using our scoring criteria focusing on methodological rigor and clinical utilityAn overall score for each measure rating the instruments strength with respect to methodology and clinical utility

About the Author

Clinical Epidemiologist in Private Practice, Steilacoom, Washington, USA