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The Cervicothoracic Junction

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Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Radiculopathy

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Abstract

The cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) serves as the interface between the flexible, lordotic cervical spine and the more rigid, kyphotic thoracic spine. It is comprised of the C7 and T1 vertebrae and the intervening discs, ribs, and spanning ligaments. The varying anatomy and load-bearing properties of these two spine regions require careful consideration. The transition from the mobile cervical spine to immobile thoracic spine exposes the CTJ to large forces, making it susceptible to trauma and requiring unique biomechanical considerations when planning stabilization constructs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Anthony M. DiGiorgio & Praveen V. Mummaneni

  2. Department of Neurological Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Anthony M. DiGiorgio

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Michael S. Virk

  4. Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine and College of Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Hsiao Hu

  5. Department of Orthopedics, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Hsiao Hu

  6. University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Mohanad Alazzeh & Santan Thottempudi

Authors
  1. Anthony M. DiGiorgio
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  2. Michael S. Virk
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  3. Ming-Hsiao Hu
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  4. Mohanad Alazzeh
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  5. Santan Thottempudi
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  6. Praveen V. Mummaneni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Praveen V. Mummaneni .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Michael G. Kaiser

  2. Atlanta Brain and Spine Care, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Regis W. Haid

  3. Duke University Health System, Durham, NC, USA

    Christopher I. Shaffrey

  4. Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Michael G. Fehlings

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DiGiorgio, A.M., Virk, M.S., Hu, MH., Alazzeh, M., Thottempudi, S., Mummaneni, P.V. (2019). The Cervicothoracic Junction. In: Kaiser, M., Haid, R., Shaffrey, C., Fehlings, M. (eds) Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy and Radiculopathy . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97952-6_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97952-6_33

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97951-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97952-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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