Title : Atlas of Sciatica Etiologies, Diagnosis, and Management

Edition : 1^st edition

Edited by : By: Ali Khaddar, M.D.

Published by : Springer

Price : $450

ISBN : ISBN: 978-3-031-44983-3

Pages : 1045

Year : 2024

This book is very well written by an experienced Spine Neurosurgeon who has covered this topic comprehensively and thoroughly from all the necessary aspects needed how to evaluate a patient with this disorder before making a final treatment plan.

This is a great resource for spine neurosurgeons, orthopedists, neurologists, general practitioners, chiropractors, and medical students.

The book is divided into five parts, and each part is divided into different sections.

In part I, the author starts with the definition of sciatica and then goes through the historical aspects of this disorder from the biblical period through the Avicenna period, then mentioning the pioneers of the field, including Rudolf Ludwig Virchow, Ernest Charles Laseque, Fedor Krause, and the others.

Then, he mentions the legendary article by Mixter and Barr in the New England Journal of Medicine 1934, which was eye-opening evidence for Spine Surgeons describing the Etiology and pathological mechanism of Lumbar Discogenic Sciatica.

Chapter 3 is in regard to the Anatomy and Physiology of the Sciatic Nerve, which describes and illustrates very well and clearly the normal and abnormal presentation of the nerve, including the possibilities of conjoined roots, which are important for training newcomers to the field. In addition, it clearly illustrates the location of the piriformis muscle pressing on the Sciatic Nerve, causing radiculopathy, which is not well appreciated by some specialists in this field. The quality of the illustrations is outstanding and very clear.

Following that, the differential diagnosis of sciatica is well explained followed by neuroimaging findings. Then, he explains the surgical treatment of discogenic sciatica followed by its complications.

In part II, lumbosacral discogenic sciatica is vastly explained, including different locations of the disk elements in regard to the vertebral column and spinal cord.

In part III, the spinal non-discogenic aspect of this disorder is explained, including lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar spondylolysis, tumors, and other pathologies, including spinal Paget’s disease, spinal rheumatologic arthritis, gout, abscesses, and tethered cord.

In part IV, extraspinal intrapelvic sciatica is explained, including the abdominopelvic, retroperitoneal tumors, and other pathologies in addition to pregnancy as the cause.

Finally, in part V, the causes of extraspinal extra-pelvic sciatica, including neuropathies, deep gluteal syndrome, phantom sciatic pain, and other pathologies, are explained.

This book is highly recommended for anyone dealing with back pain sciatica to go over it to have a better understanding of this disorder.

Blessed are the wise who savior the pleasure of the mind (Ibn Sina) [Avicenna] 985–1057.

Ethical approval

The Institutional Review Board approval is not required.

Declaration of patient consent

Patient’s consent was not required as there are no patients in this study.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for manuscript preparation

The authors confirm that there was no use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for assisting in the writing or editing of the manuscript and no images were manipulated using AI.

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Journal or its management. The information contained in this article should not be considered to be medical advice; patients should consult their own physicians for advice as to their specific medical needs.