The second congress of the Paci?c Asian Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (PASMISS) held in Phuket, Thailand, August 5-6,2002, was highly s- cessful. Dr.Akira Dezawa, the president, had worked hard in organizing the congress, which was well attended.All scienti?c papers presented were of the highest standard and were worthy of publication in book form.This scienti?c meeting brought to light the practice of this modern surgical technique as it is being performed by spine surgeons in the Asia-Paci?c region.Dr.Dezawa has made a great effort to collect the papers from the congress, and to have them edited and published as a text that covers all aspects of the minimally invasive spine surgical approach. Minimally invasive spinal surgery will be a highlight of operative approaches in the twenty-?rst century and already has been popularized worldwide.This procedure will provide surgical options that address several pathological conditions in the spinal column without producing the types of morbidity commonly seen in open surgical procedures. The contents of this book provide highly relevant and detailed information. I certainly believe that it will be a great bene't to all orthopedic surgeons who are interested in performing minimally invasive spine surgery. Charoen Chotigavanich, M.D. Chairman, Spinal Section The Royal College of Orthopedic Surgeons of Thailand V Preface Recent decades have been characterized by revolutionary changes in spinal surgery. Concurrent progress in implant technology and functional en- scopes and the improvement of less invasive surgical techniques has opened a new dimension for spine surgery.