Pittsburgh, September 16, 2008 -- Peter C. Gerszten, MD, MPH, associate professor of neurological surgery and radiation oncology at the University of Pittsburgh, has co-edited the first ever book of its kind on spine radiosurgery. The 119-page, 18-chapter book, Spine Radiosurgery, just released by Thieme Medical Publishers, covers a wealth of topics in this fast-breaking field and is co-edited by Samuel Ryu, MD, director of radiosurgery at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI.

With contributions from leading experts from the fields of neurosurgery, radiation oncology, medical physics, as well as medical oncology, the book is described by the publisher, “as the definitive reference for clinical applications of state-of-the-art radiosurgery of the spine. It discusses the benefits as well as the limitations of current spine radiosurgery treatments for benign and malignant spine disorders, primary and metastatic tumors, and spinal cord arteriovenous malformations.”

Other contributors from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center include Boyle C. Cheng, PhD, assistant professor of neurological surgery, Steven A. Burton, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology, and Cihat Ozhasoglu, PhD, assistant professor of radiation oncology.

Dr. Gerszten, a pioneer in the field of spine radiosurgery, is the director of percutaneous spine services in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery and leads the department’s spine radiosurgery program. His clinical interests include minimally invasive approaches to the treatment of spinal disorders and spinal tumors.

Dr Gerszten also directs the instruction of this developing area of neurosurgery in the format of practical clinics in conjunction with the annual meetings of both the American Association of Neurological Surgery as well as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

More information on this book can be found on the Thieme website.