Textbook of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

This book provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS), covering both established and emerging surgical techniques and technologies that are shaping modern spinal practice.

The volume is organized into thematic sections addressing lumbar endoscopic decompression and fusion, thoracic and cervical endoscopic procedures, minimally invasive fusion strategies including MIS-TLIF and lateral approaches, and anterior spinal techniques. In addition, the book examines enabling technologies such as spinal navigation, robotics, augmented/virtual/mixed reality (AR/VR/MR), and artificial intelligence applications in spine surgery.

Each chapter presents detailed technical descriptions supported by high-quality illustrations and operative videos, with practical pearls and pitfalls highlighted to facilitate safe and effective implementation in clinical practice.

Written by internationally recognized experts, the book is intended for spine surgeons ranging from trainees to experienced specialists who wish to incorporate minimally invasive techniques into their surgical practice. It will also be of interest to surgical nurses, medical engineers, radiologic technologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in spinal care.

By integrating current surgical concepts with practical operative guidance, Textbook of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Concepts and Surgical Techniques serves as a valuable reference for contemporary minimally invasive spinal surgery.

Professor Yoshihisa Kotani has been working as clinical associate professor in Hokkaido University Hospital with world-renowned professor Kiyoshi Kaneda from 1989 to 2012. Prof Kotani’s specialty is the spinal reconstruction and minimally invasive spine surgery. In 2019, he moved to the Kansai Medical university in Osaka. He has been an active member of North American Spine Society (NASS), Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) for a long time, and become a first president of SMISS Asia-Pacific section (SMISS AP) in 2019 according to the recommendation by US SMISS, as well as becoming the international director of US SMISS. The SMISS AP annually held the academic meeting in different AP lesions, gathering over 700 specialists from AP and US(http://smiss.org). Prof Kotani published over 200 articles relating spinal surgery and related research. In 2026, the faculty members increased to 90 in SMISS AP, therefore, we SMISS AP is planning the book publication specialized in recent progress of minimally invasive spine surgery.
Professor Jin-Sung Kim (Luke), MD, PhD, is a Professor of Neurosurgery at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, and Director of the International Minimally Invasive Spine Fellowship Training Program (SpineWalker Academy). He holds the highest global h-index among first and corresponding authors in endoscopic spine surgery, reflecting his unparalleled contribution to the scientific foundation of the field. He serves as Deputy Editor of both Neurospine and Global Spine Journal, and holds leadership roles in SMISS, AOSpine, and NASS, including the AOSpine MIS Task Force and the NASS International Strategic Growth Committee. An internationally recognized pioneer, he has published over 250 SCI(E) papers and delivered more than 700 invited lectures worldwide since 2015. He has dedicated over two decades to advancing full-endoscopic spine surgery through innovation, education, and evidence-based practice. He is Editor-in-Chief of multiple landmark textbooks on endoscopic spine surgery published by Springer, Elsevier, and Thieme. 
Professor Frank M. Phillips is the Ronald Dewald Endowed Professor at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a world renowned spine surgeon who over the past three decades has participated in the development and pioneered numerous minimally invasive surgery techniques that are now widely adopted.  He has lectured internationally on MIS techniques and outcomes, has published over 200 scientific peer-reviewed articles, over 50 book chapters and has received numerous research awards and grants. Dr. Phillips is a founder and past president of the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS), past president of the International Society for Advanced Spine Surgery (ISASS), founder and past president of the Society of Lateral Access Surgery (SOLAS) and has been the Program Chair for CSRS Annual meeting. In 2021 he received the Leon Wiltse Award for his lifetime contributions to Spinal Surgery from the North American Spine Society (NASS).