I feel very fortunate to be the person responsible for publishing this, the 4th issue, of our professional journal this year. Once again, it includes several clinical research studies, a couple of case reports, and a review article. I apologize for the fact that it’s late this month, but there were technical issues beyond our control. I hope that each of you will review this issue very carefully, and add the insights contained herein, to your already extensive knowledge of your field of expertize.

The Journal of Turkish Spinal Surgery (www.jtss.org), is the official publication of the Turkish Spine Society. Our publication is currently indexed in Ulakbim, Atıf Dizin, J-Gate, Europub and Ebsco host. However, we are very happy to announce that, in addition, our journal has also been indexed by three international indexes, Proquest, Index Copernicus and Gale Cengage Learning. We would like to remind you that, should you choose to submit a manuscript to the Turkish Journal of Spinal Surgery, it is free of charge, and the Pleksus system is being used.
In this issue, there are ten clinical research studies, two case reports and one review article. The first study is a study concerning the “Evaluation of the Preferences of Turkish Spine Society Members Toward Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Treatment.” The second is a basic science study on a Bipedal c57bl6 Mice Model, and the “Radiological Analysis of the Effects of Raloxifene, Nitric-oxide and Estrogen on Scoliosis.” In the third, one can read a retrospective clinical study entitled, “A Surgical Error Resulting in Proximal Junctional Kyphosis in Treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.” The fourth article is “A Prospective Cohort Study About Effectiveness of Patient Specific Thoracolumbar Brace Treatment for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.” The authors of the fifth study examined “The Efficacy of Surgical Techniques for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy on Functional Outcome, Recovery, and Patient Satisfaction.” The sixth study compares “Sequestrectomy and Aggressive Discectomies in Terms of Recurrence in Lumbar Disk Hernia Surgeries” while, in the seventh, the authors wrote about “Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Decompression and Fusion surgery for Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis” in a retrospective comparative study. The eighth article gives a clear answer to the question: “Does Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebrae Cause Low Back Pain?” The ninth article is “A Quality Control Study That Answers the Question: Can Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Videos Shared on YouTube be Used as a Patient Education Tool?” The tenth study is about the importance of subcutaneous tissue thickness, in the development of surgical site infection, after lumbar disc surgery. The eleventh and twelfth articles are case reports about thoracic dynamic instrumentation, and Atlantoaxial Subluxation in a Patient with Psoriatic Arthritis respectively. The thirteenth is a review of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Following Spinal Diseases and Surgeries.

I hope you found this issue thought-provoking and edifying. It’s my goal to provide you with the latest, and most up-to-date information in our field. My mission is to increase our awareness so that we are all abreast of the latest cutting-edge developments in our field.

With kindest regards,

Editor in Chief
Metin Özalay, M.D.