New deputy editor Dr. Wen-Cheng Huang the president of Taiwan Neurosurgical Spine Society Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan

Neurospine editorial team is honored to invite new deputy editor Dr. Wen-Cheng Huang (Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan). Currently, Dr.Huang is the president of Taiwan Neurosurgical Spine Society. Dr. Huang would organize new editorial team in Taiwan for providing more academic and editorial contribution to Neurospine. We also express sincere gratitude to former Deputy editor Dr.Shih-Huang Tai (National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan). Since the beginning of Neurospine, Dr.Tai has been providing enormous efforts to Neurospine for establishing editorial structure in Taiwan.

Dear Spine Surgeons and Researchers,

The current issue (September 2019) presents new collective intelligences in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy (CSM) and Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL). First, it contains an invited article from Dr. Kiyoshi Hirabayashi (Inventor of Cervical Open Door Laminoplasty). In this essay, Dr. Hirabayashi summarizs his philosophy and challenges during his life-long service in cervical spine surgery.

The current issue highlights cutting-edge debates in CSM and OPLL. World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Spine Committee (Chair Dr. Mehmet Zileli, Dr. Michael Fehlings and Dr. Daniel Hoh) has investigated and reviewed the present knowledge about evidence-based medical approaches to CSM and OPLL.

Dr. Joaquim (Campinas, Brazil) provides strategies for identifying and managing dynamic cord compression of cervical spine. Dr.Vaziri (Gainesville, USA) has contributed an article entitled “Does Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Progress After Fusion?” In this article, Dr.Vaziri provides information of epidemiology, pathophysiology, and disease progression of OPLL after cervical fusion. Dr. Chang-Hyun Lee (Seoul, Korea) performed meta-analysis to compare anterior versus posterior surgery (The Clinical Implications and Complications of Anterior Versus Posterior Surgery for Multilevel Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament; An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). Dr. Lee insists that posterior surgery is more appropriate than anterior surgery with regard to less complications and no meaningful difference in JOA improvement. Dr. Qureshi (New York, USA) provides evidence of cervical disc replacement of CSM (Effect of Myelopathy on Early Clinical Improvement After Cervical Disc Replacement: A Study of a Local Patient Cohort and a Large National Cohort). In his article, Significant clinical improvements are seen in both myelopathy and nonmyelopathy populations.

The Neurospine editorial board would like to receive your feedback and comments about future directions. We pledge to engage in editorial work jointly with our readers.

Yoon Ha, MD, PhD
Editor in Chief, Neurospine

Wen-Cheng Huang MD, PhD
Deputy Editor

Makoto Taniguchi MD, PhD
Deputy Editor