A surgical support system including a positioning pillow to support a patient on an operating table. An example embodiment of the positioning pillow includes a head supporting surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite to the head supporting surface, the head supporting surface being angled relative to the bottom surface to align the patients thoracic and cervical spine at a predetermined angle with respect to the operating table when the patients head is positioned on the head supporting surface, including one or more inclined removable members to adjust the height and angle of the head supporting surface relative to the bottom surface.
