Cervical Myelopathy: Diagnostic Aspects, Surgical Treatment and Evolution of Patients Operated upon in Yaounde

Introduction: Although cervical myelopathy is the most common degenerative cervical spine pathology in adults, the indications and approaches of surgical treatment have not yet been clearly defined in the literature. Very few studies exist regarding these aspects in our setting, and they are mostly outdated. This study aimed to describe the diagnostic aspects, current surgical treatment with technical improvements, and progression in patients. Patients and Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective descriptive study over a 10-year period between January 2011 and January 2020 in three referral centres in Yaoundé. All patients who underwent surgery for cervical myelopathy were included. Results: Fifty-two patients were recruited. The rate of operated cervical myelopathies among all degenerative spinal pathologies was 14.05%. The M/F sex ratio was 3/1, and the average age was 52 ± 10 years. All included patients had gait problems, 90.38% demonstrated motor deficiency, and 67.30% experienced at least three levels of compression. Surgery was decided based on the Nurick grade;a posterior approach was applied to 86.54% of patients. Postoperative progression showed a neurological improvement of 82% with an average follow-up of 4 years. Conclusion: In this study, the patients who underwent surgery were relatively young, their clinical presentations were mostly advanced, and surgical management showed good results in well-selected cases.

Anterior and Posterior Approach Results for Treatment of Cervical Myelopathy in the Elderly: A 10-Year Experience in a Mexican Institution

Introduction: Degeneration of the cervical spine (CDSD) prevalence is nearly 90% by the 7th decade. This is the first research that compares the outcomes between the Anterior Approach (AA) and Posterior Approach (PA) to cervical myelopathy (CM) in the elderly. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study of electronic health records at the Hospital Central Sur de Alta Especialidad (HCSAE), PEMEX from January 2010 to May 2020 with patients older than 60 years submitted to cervical surgery. For the analysis we elaborated two groups according to the surgical approach: AA vs PA;we analyzed the trans-operative behavior, the immediate outcome, and after 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Results: As a total of 145 patients, the prevalence of CM in elderly was the 63.8% with a median age of 69 (64 - 75) years. We found statistical differences in strength outcome only in the P3m (p = 0.011), for sensitivity we found major prevalence of affection in the PA group. We didn’t report a significant difference in the Neck Disability Index (NDI) at all measures, but the PA presented a major incapacity. The Nurick scale results were significant in all stages (p < 0.05);and presented improvement compared with presurgical period (p < 0.001). Discussion: Patients show significant improvements in outcome measures with either anterior or posterior surgery. Both approaches are highly efficacious in preventing neurologic deterioration and in most cases improve neurological function with appropriate postoperative management like rehabilitation, pain management, and psychological support. Conclusion: The patients submitted to surgical medullary decompression presented a favorable outcome despite the age and the higher prevalence of comorbidities;whereby we favor the surgical treatment in all patients in a case-to-case selection to generate a positive impact on functional outcomes.

Correlation between magnetic resonance T2 image signal intensity ratio and cell apoptosis in a rabbit spinal cord cervical myelopathy model

Background Cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM） is a common cause of disability in elderly patients.Previous studies have shown that spinal cord cell apoptosis due to spinal cord compression plays an important role in the pathology of myelopathy.Although changes in magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） T2 signal intensity ratio （SIR） are considered to be an indicator of CSM,little information is published supporting the correlation between changes in MRI signal and pathological changes.This study aims to testify the correlation between MRI T2 SIR changes and cell apoptosis using a CSM animal model.Methods Forty-eight rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups：one control group and three experimental chronic compression groups,with each group containing 12 animals.Chronic compression of the cervical spinal cord was implemented in the experimental groups by implanting a screw in the C3 vertebra.The control group underwent sham surgery.Experimental groups were observed for 3,6,or 9 months after surgery.MRI T2-weighted SIR Tarlov motor scores and cortical somatosensory-evoked potentials （CSEPs） were periodically monitored.At each time point,rabbits from one group were sacrificed to determine the level of apoptosis by histology （n=6） and Western blotting （n=6）.Results Tarlov motor scores in the compression groups were lower at all time points than the control group scores,with the lowest score at 9 months （P ＜0.001）.Electrophysiological testing showed a significantly prolonged latency in CSEP in the compression groups compared with the control group.All rabbits in the compression groups showed higher MRI T2 SIR in the injury epicenter compared with controls,and higher SIR was also found at 9 months compared with 3 or 6 months.Histological analysis showed significant apoptosis in the spinal cord tissue in the compression groups,but not in the control group.There were significant differences in apoptosis degree over time （P ＜0.001）,with the 9-month group displaying the most severe spinal cord apoptosis.Spearman＇s rank correlation test showed that there was close relation between MRI SIR and degree of caspase-3 expression in Western blotting （r=0.824.P ＜0.001）.Conclusions Clear apoptosis of spinal cord tissue was observed during chronic focal spinal compression.Changes in MRI T2 SIR mav be related to the severity of the apoptosis in cervical spinal cord.

Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Combined with Interbody Fusion for the Treatment of Cervical Myelopathy with Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis： A Case Report

Diftuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis （DISHL also known as Forestier＇s disease, was originally reported by Forestier and Rotes-Querol in 1950. It is a common but underdiagnosed skeletal disease characterized by massive ossification of the anterior longitudinal ligament of several vertebral bodies. The most common symptom of cervical DISH is dysphagia due to mechanical compression of the esophagus. Reports of cervical myelopathy associated with DISH are rare. Here, we present a case describing a DISH patient with cervical myelopathy who was effectively treated by a carefully designed surgical procedure.

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy with syringomyelia presenting as hip Charcot neuroarthropathy:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Charcot neuroarthropathy(CN)is a systemic disease characterized by progressive bone loss and destruction,which is usually closely related to diabetes,HIV,etc.However,CN caused by syringomyelia accounts for only 5%of CN cases;the shoulder and elbow are most often involved,and the hip joint is rarely affected.As a rare factor,cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM)can be associated with syringomyelia,which is scarcely reported in the literature.Here,we present the first case report to date of CN of the hip caused by syringomyelia secondary to CSM.CASE SUMMARY We describe a 76-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with CSM due to neck pain and weakness of limbs 16 years ago.Four years ago,he noticed recurrent swelling of the right hip with pain and was diagnosed with degenerative arthritis.Recently,however,his symptoms gradually worsened,and because of progressive pain,destabilization and weakness of the right hip,he was admitted to our hospital.Through systematic physical,radiographic and laboratory examinations,we finally reached a diagnosis:CN of the right hip associated with syringomyelia secondary to CSM.After comprehensive evaluation of the patient's condition,we performed right total hip arthroplasty.During the follow-up,the patient felt well clinically and could walk independently with a knee brace.CONCLUSION We suggest a possible etiological association between CSM and syringomyelia,which may reflect a potential pathogenesis of CN.We encourage clinicians to actively carry out a detailed medical history and comprehensive physical and imaging examinations in patients with joint lesions,especially chronic shoulder neck pain,to rule out the possibility of this association,which plays a crucial role in the early diagnosis of CN.Arthroplasty may no longer be an absolute contraindication to surgical treatment of CN.Reasonable selection of the surgical strategy can markedly improve the clinical symptoms and quality of life of patients.

Application of anterior decompression and reconstruction using titanium mesh with locking plates in the management of cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Objective：To observe the clinical effect of anterior decompression and reconstruction using titanium mesh with locking plates in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Methods：One hundred and twenty patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy were treated by anterior decompression and reconstruction using titanium mesh with locking plates. There were 66 men and 54 women ranges in age from 37 to 72 Years（mean age, 58.3 years）. The mean Japanese orthopedic surgery association（JOA） scale was 9.6 points before operation. Patients were followed up clinically and radiographically. Results：Having stood surgery well, the operation time ranged between 60-100 min and bleeding during operation ranged between 20-200 ml. There were no case of postoperative infection, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, or esophageal or tracheal laceration or rupture. The average follow-up period was 14.3 months（range, 12 to 24 months） in 96 who were followed up. At the last follow-up visit the mean JOA scale had improved to 14.4 points, reflecting an improvement of 4.8 points. The results were considered to be excellent in 87 patients, good in 25, fair in 6, and poor in 2. No hardware-related complications or adjacent segment degenerative changes were encountered during the follow-up periods. Stable bone union was observed in all cases and the average time required for fusion was 5.7 months. Conclusion：Titanium mesh filled with autologous bone graft can avoid the complications associated with harvesting bone from the iliac crest donor site. When combined with cervical anterior locking plate, it can obtain satisfatory clinical results for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

A wake up call for cervical spondylotic myelopathy in young age : a case report

A 30 yrs male,was admitted with complains ofneck pain,weakness in both upper and lower limbs forfour months and mild intermittent paresthesia along hisupper limbs.Physical examination showed mild senso-ry deficit

Functional evaluation using several evoked spinal cord potentials in elderly patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

BACKGROUND ： The recordings of evoked spinal cord potentials following epidural spinal cord stimulation are thought to be generated by volleys traversing the dorsal column pathway, and it may not directly reflect conduction defects in corticospinat tracts of cervical spinal cord. To our knowledge there has been few report using several evoked spinal cord potentials in function evaluation of the cervical spinal cord in eldedy patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM）. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the function states of the cervical spinal cord in elderly patients with CSM and explore its pathophysictogic mechanism. DESIGN： Case observation SETTING ： Department of Orthopedics for the aged, Shenzhen Pingle Hospital of Orthopedics. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS ： A total of 23 eldedy patients with CSM who received treatment in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine of Japan from January 2003 to February 2004 were enrolled in this study. Inclusive criteria： ① Multiple intervertebral levels of cervical spinal cord compression confirmed by MRI, e.g. 3 or more than 3 levels of compressin. ② Age ≥ 70 years old. ③ Numbness and sensory disturbance in the upper limbs and showed hyperreflexia in the lower limbs. Exclusive criteria： Patients with abnormal motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities in both upper and lower limbs were excluded. METHODS： Evoked spinal cord potentials （ESCPs） following transcranial electric stimulation （TCE-ESCPs）, epidural spinal cord stimulation （SpinaI-ESCPs） and median nerve stimulation （MN-ESCPs） were recorded in 23 patients from posterior epidural space intreoperatively. The abnormalities of TCE-ESCPs were defined as attenuation of amplitude of the D wave. The most cranial intervertebral level showing abnormal TCE-ESCPs with a marked reduction in size of the negative peak （reduction of over 50%） was considered as the upper level of the spinal cord lesion with respect to the corticospinal tract in white matter. The abnormalities of SpinaI-ESCPs were defined as marked reduction in the size of negative peak （reduction of over 50%）. The most caudal intervertebral level showing abnormal SpinaI-ESCPs was considered as the lower level of the spinal cord lesion with respect to the dorsal column pathway in white matter. The abnormalities of MN-ESCPs were defined as attenuation of the N13 amplitude,which was considered as the lesion level of the spinal cord with respect to the dorsal horn in gray matter. Radiological investigation： Lateral view of plain X-ray films was obtained in flexion and extension of the cervical spine. Instability of the cervical intervertebral level was determined as horizontal displacement of the vertebral body of over 3 mm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES ： The results of examination of TCE-ESCPs, SpinaI-ESCPs and MN-ESCPs in el- dedy patients with CSM. RESULTS： The 23 eldedy patients with CSM were participated in the result analysis. ①TCE-ESCPs： The impairment of the corticospinal tract in white matter at single intervertebral level was revealed in 18 of 23 patients by recordings of TCE-ESCPs （sensitivity 78%）. In the 18 patients, the lesion level was shown at the up- per cervical segment in 14 patients （C3-4n=10 and C4-5n=4）, and at the lower cervical segment in 4 patients （C5-6n=4）. ②Spinal-ESCPs： The impairment of the dorsal column pathway of white matter at single intervertebral level was revealed in 17 of 23 patients, by recordings of Spinal-ESCPs （sensitivity 74%）. In the 17 patients, the lesion level was presented at the upper cervical segment in 14 patients （C3-4n=10 and C4-5n=4）, and at the lower cervical segment in 3 patients （C5-6 n=3）. ③MN-ESCPs： All patients revealed abnormal MN-ESCPs at one or more intervertebral levels （sensitivity 100%）. The impairment at single intervertebral level was demonstrated in 17 patients, and the impairment at multiple intervertebral levels was shown in 4 patients （3 patients at the C3-4, C4-4, and C5-4~6, and one patient at the C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7）. ④Radiological findings： The Instability of the intervertebral level at the C3-4 or C4-5 motion segment was seen in 15 patients, with a total of 20 levels, and where 10 were at the C3-4 intervertebral level and 5 were at the C3-4, C4-5 intervertebral level. CONCLUSION ： The results suggest that in most elderly patients with CSM who have multiple intervertebral level compressions of the cervical spinal cord on MRI, white matter is impaired at the single cervical intervertebral level, and not only the dorsal column pathway, but also the corticospinal tract can be affected. Combined the findings of radiography, the excessive motion and instability of the C3-4 or C4-5 intervertebral level plays an important role in inducing the long tract lesion in elderly patients with CSM.

Spontaneous Cervical Epidural Hematomas in Mild Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Patients：An Analysis of 8 Cases

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoms（SCEH） complicated with mild cervical spondylotic myelopathy（CSM） is a rare but emerging condition.Early diagnosis and treatment are important for good outcomes.This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of this condition and to discuss the optimal treatment.The clinical data from 8 patients with SCEH plus CSM who were divided into two groups by treatment methods were retrospectively analyzed.The neurological function of the patients was assessed by Japanese Orthopedic Association（JOA） score before and after the surgical operations.Other factors were reviewed with medical records.Among them,4 out of the 8 patients underwent emergency surgery,and the rest 3 patients experienced an initial conservative treatment and ultimately received a laminectomy.We found that the Frankel Scale scores in most of the surgical patients were increased after surgery（6/7,85.7%）.However,the JOA scores at the 6th month after onset were even lower than those before onset in 3 of the operative cases,and those in the patients who were given conservative treatment showed no significant change.It was concluded that some patients with SCEH and CSM treated with a timely operation may obtain relief from their previous CSM symptoms.However,the final neurological deficits of these patients were closely related to the progressive interval which refers to the hours between the initial onset and the occurrence of new neurological deficits or mild CSM deterioration,no matter whether they accept the operation.We found the crucial progressive interval may be in 9 h.Early MRI and prompt neurosurgical intervention are also important to improve the neurological deficits.

Clinical Study of Acupotomy Trinity Lysis on Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy with Liver and Kidney Deficiency Syndrome

Objective:To compare the therapeutic effects of acupotomy trinity lysis and traditional acupotomy on cervical spondylotic myelopathy.Methods:A total of 205 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy of liver and kidney deficiency syndrome were randomly divided into the experimental group(105 cases)and the control group(100 cases).The experimental group was relaxed with acupotomy in three positions:Heaven(tian),Human(ren)and Earth(di).Traditional acupotomy was used to relax Ashi acupoints of the affected vertebra in the control group.One treatment was conducted in one week,and the duration of one course of treatment was three weeks.The VAS,JOA score and NDI index were observed after treatment.Results:Before and after treatment,the total treatment efficiency of the treatment group was 95.23%,and that of the control group was 80.00%,there was significant difference between the two groups,P<0.05;Before operation,there was no significant difference in JOA score,NDI index score,and VAS score between the treatment group and the control group(P>0.05);there was no significant difference after 1 week(P>0.05),but there were significant differences between the two groups 2 weeks and 3 weeks after operation(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupotomy trinity lysis is a safe,effective and economical treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Selection of surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Objective To investigate the difference between different surgical methods for thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum(OLF) combined with cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM) . Methods From January 1991 to January 2003,56 cases

CLINICAL STUDY OF MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS BY MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN CERVICAL SPONDYLOTIC MYELOPATHY

The combined use of motor .yoked pot'ntlais (MEPs) with F way, recording was cornpared with somatesemory evoked potentials (SEPs) in order to evaluate the clinical value or MEPs incervical spondylotic myelopathy. Magnetic stimulation of motor cortex with F wave recording was used assess central motor conduction. time, (CMCT). and central somatoseusory conduction time(CSCT)was evaluated by SEPs in 20 pailents surffring from myeloP8thy of cervical spondylosis. Theresults were comapared with 20 control subjects. The results showed that CMCT of Patients was obviously prolonged then that of contral subjects, the sbnormal rate was 80% which was higher than70K of SEPs slid that the prolongation or CMCT had a good correlation with the severe degree ofmyelopathy. The Painless and noninvasive .magnetic stimulation of PEPs could figure out the compressed degree of motor descending pathway and was. useful technique for diagnosis of cervicalspondylotic myelopathy.

The ferroptosis activity is associated with neurological recovery following chronic compressive spinal cord injury

Chronic compressive spinal cord injury in compressive cervical myelopathy conditions can lead to rapid neurological deterioration in the early phase,followed by partial self-recovery,and ultimately an equilibrium state of neurological dysfunction.Ferroptosis is a crucial pathological process in many neurodegenerative diseases;however,its role in chro nic compressive spinal cord injury remains unclear.In this study,we established a chronic compressive spinal cord injury rat model,which displayed its most severe behavioral and electrophysiological dysfunction at 4 wee ks and partial recovery at 8 weeks after compression.Bulk RNA sequencing data identified enriched functional pathways,including ferroptosis,presynapse,and postsynaptic membrane activity at both 4 and 8 wee ks following chro nic compressive spinal co rd injury.Tra nsmission electron microscopy and malondialdehyde quantification assay confirmed that ferroptosis activity peaked at 4 weeks and was attenuated at 8 weeks after chronic compression.Ferro ptosis activity was negatively correlated with behavioral score.Immunofluorescence,quantitative polymerase chain reaction,and western blotting showed that expression of the anti-ferroptosis molecules,glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) and MAF BZIP transcription factor G(MafG),in neuro ns was suppressed at 4 weeks and upregulated at 8 weeks following spinal co rd compression.There was a positive correlation between the expression of these two molecules,suggesting that they may work together to contribute to functional recovery following chronic compressive spinal cord injury.In conclusion,our study determined the genome-wide expression profile and fe rroptosis activity of a consistently compressed spinal cord at different time points.The results showed that anti-fe rroptosis genes,specifically GPX4 and MafG,may be involved in spontaneous neurological recovery at 8 weeks of chronic compressive spinal cord injury.These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying chronic compressive spinal cord injury and may help identify new therapeutic targets for compressive cervical myelopathy.

Pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic compressive spinal cord injury due to vascular events

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is the main cause of non-traumatic spinal cord injury,with chronic static and/or dynamic compressive spinal cord injury as the unique pathogenesis.In the progression of this condition,the microvascular network is compressed and destroyed,resulting in ischemia and hypoxia.The main pathological changes are inflammation,damage to the blood spinal cord barriers,and cell apoptosis at the site of compression.Studies have confirmed that vascular regeneration and remodeling contribute to neural repair by promoting blood flow and the reconstruction of effective circulation to meet the nutrient and oxygen requirements for nerve repair.Surgical decompression is the most effective clinical treatment for this condition;however,in some patients,residual neurological dysfunction remains after decompression.Facilitating revascularization during compression and after decompression is therefore complementary to surgical treatment.In this review,we summarize the progress in research on chronic compressive spinal cord injury,covering both physiological and pathological changes after compression and decompression,and the regulatory mechanisms of vascular injury and repair.

Machine learning-based detection of cervical spondylotic myelopathy using multiple gait parameters

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy(CSM)is the main cause of adult spinal cord dysfunction,mostly appearing in middle-aged and elderly patients.Currently,the diagnosis of this condition depends mainly on the available imaging tools such as X-ray,computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),of which MRI is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis.However,MRI data cannot clearly demonstrate the dynamic characteristics of CSM,and the overall process is far from costefficient.Therefore,this study proposes a new method using multiple gait parameters and shallow classifiers to dynamically detect the occurrence of CSM.In the present study,45 patients with CSM and 45 age-matched asymptomatic healthy controls(HCs)were recruited,and a three-dimensional(3D)motion capture system was utilized to capture the locomotion data.Furthermore,63 spatiotemporal,kinematic,and nonlinear parameters were extracted,including lower limb joint angles in the sagittal,coronal,and transverse planes.Then,the Shapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)value was utilized for feature selection and reduction of the dimensionality of features,and five traditional shallow classifiers,including support vector machine(SVM),logistic regression(LR),k-nearest neighbor(KNN),decision tree(DT),and random forest(RF),were used to classify gait patterns between CSM patients and HCs.On the basis of the 10-fold cross-validation method,the highest average accuracy was achieved by SVM(95.56%).Our results demonstrated that the proposed method could effectively detect CSM and thus serve as an automated auxiliary tool for the clinical diagnosis of CSM.

Does diffusion tensor data reflect pathological changes in the spinal cord with chronic injury?

Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging has been shown to quantitatively measure the early pathological changes in chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy. In this study, a novel spongy poly- urethane material was implanted in the rat C^-s epidural space to establish a rat model of chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Diffusion tensor data were used to predict pathological changes. Results revealed that the fractional anisotropy value gradually decreased at 4, 24, and 72 hours and 1 week after injury in rat spinal cord, showing a time-dependent manner. Average diffusion coeffi- cient increased at 72 hours and 1 week after implantation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Luxol-fast-blue staining exhibited that the number of neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord gray matter and the nerve fiber density of the white matter gradually reduced with prolonged com- pression time. Neuronal loss was most significant at 1 week after injury. Results verified that the fractional anisotropy value and average diffusion coefficient reflected the degree of pathological change in the site of compression in rat models at various time points after chronic spinal cord compression injury, which potentially has a reference value in the early diagnosis of chronic cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Value of somatosensory evoked potentials in diagnosis, surgical monitoring and prognosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Background The value of somatosensory evoked potentials （SEPs） in the diagnosis and prognosis of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, as well as the usefulness of monitoring intraoperative potentials in terms of safety and predictive factors were investigated. Methods Each of the 76 myelopathic patients underwent surgical intervention. According to the wave configurations of the SEPs, the cases were categorised into four groups： Type Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ. The clinical myelopathy disability was classified and the severity of neurological deficits was scored. Clinical function after surgery was evaluated. Preoperative potentials and intraoperative monitoring were categorized. The correlations between .evoked potentials detection, monitoring, myelopathy disability and surgical outcome in the different groups were discussed. Results According to the configurations of the SEPs, there were 27 patients （36%） of Type Ⅰ, 30 patients （39%） of Type Ⅱ, 8 patients （11%） of Type Ⅲ, and 11 patients （14%） of Type Ⅳ. The categorised evoked potentials were shown to be significantly associated with the clinical representation of myelopathy （P 〈0.01） and the recovery rate from identifiable SEPs waves （groups A, B and C） was significantly higher than unidentifiable waves （group D, P〈0.01）. A deterioration of SEPs was detected in 23 cases （30%）, whereas there was no change in 40 cases （53%） and improvements in 13 cases （17%）. A significant difference in recovery rates could be observed in various monitoring groups within the short-term follow-up period, while there were no obvious differences in the long-term follow-up groups. Conclusions SEP technique is a valuable and practical tool for the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of myelopathy. Classified evoked potentials are well correlated with cervical spondylotic myelopathy disability, and unidentifiable SEPs waves in patients are indicative of a relatively poor outcome. In addition, intraoperative monitoring of SEPs plays an important role in protecting neural structures during cervical spine surgery.

Position of increased signal intensity in the spinal cord on MR images： does it predict the outcome of cervical spondylotic myelopathy？

Background Increased signal intensity （ISI） in the spinal cord on T2-weighted MR images has been reported in some previous researches, however no study focused on the position of the ISI in the spinal cord and its potential value. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between ISI position and the outcome of surgical treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM） patients. Methods A retrospective study was conducted. Pre- and post-operative clinical status was evaluated by modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） score. ISI was evaluated according to the T2-weighted sequences. The JOA score and the recovery ratios among patients with ISI in gray matter （group A）, in both gray and white matter （group B）, and ISI-negative group were compared. Results Totally 64 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Preoperative JOA score of ISI positive and negative group had significant difference, but the recovery ratios had no significant difference （the recovery ratios of the two groups in week 1, week 26, and week 104 were （21.54±14.65）%, （50.56±14.76）%, （59.23±13.08）% and （20.25±14.32）%, （54.46±3.16）% and （61.26±29.4）%, respectively; P 〉0.05）. The recovery ratios of negative group and group A in week 104 were superior to group B （the recovery ratios of negative group, group A, and group B in week 104 were （61.26±29.49）%, （65.35±11.36）%, and （50.33±10.20）%, respectively; P 〈0.05）. Conclusions Patients with ISI in the gray matter alone on T2-weighted MR images did not have significantly different surgical outcomes compared with those without ISI. Patients with ISI in both gray and white matter had surgical outcomes that were worse than those without ISI.

Comparison of Functional and Radiological Outcomes Between Two Posterior Approaches in the Treatment of Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Background：Posterior cervical decompression is an accepted treatment for multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy （CSM）.Each posterior technique has its own advantages and disadvantages.In the present study,we compared the functional and radiological outcomes of expansive hemilaminectomy and laminoplasty with mini titanium plate in the treatment of multilevel CSM.Methods：Forty-four patients with multilevel CSM treated with posterior cervical surgery in Department of Orthopedic Surgery,Beijing Army General Hospital from March 2011 to June 2012 were enrolled in this retrospective study.Patients were divided into two groups by surgical procedure：Laminoplasty （Group L） and hemilaminectomy （Group H）.Perioperative parameters including age,sex,duration of symptoms,opcrative duration,and intraoperative blood loss were recorded and compared.Spinal canal area,calculated using AutoCAD software（Autodesk Inc.,San Rafael,CA,USA）,and neurological improvement,evaluated with Japanese Orthopedic Association score,were also compared.Results：Neurological improvement did not differ significantly between groups.Group H had a significantly shorter operative duration and significantly less blood loss.Mean expansion ratio was significantly greater in Group L （77.83 ± 6.41%） than in Group H （62.72 ± 3.86%） （P 〈 0.01）.Conclusions：Both surgical approaches are safe and effective in treating multilevel CSM.Laminoplasty provides a greater degree of enlargement of the spinal canal,whereas expansive hemilaminectomy has the advantages of shorter operative duration and less intraoperative blood loss.

Comparison of the anterior and posterior approach in treating four-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Background:The optimal surgical approach for four-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy remains controversial.The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes and complications between the anterior and posterior approaches for four-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy.Methods:A total of 19 patients underwent anterior decompression and fusion and 25 patients underwent posterior laminoplasty and instrumentation in this study.Perioperative information,intraoperative blood loss,clinical and radiological outcomes,and complications were recorded.Japanese Orthopedic Association(JOA)score,36-item short form survey(SF-36)score and cervical alignment were assessed.Results:There were no significant differences in JOA scores between the anterior and posterior group preoperatively(11.6±1.6 vs.12.1±1.5),immediately postoperatively(14.4±1.1 vs.13.8±1.3),or at the last follow-up(14.6±1.0 vs.14.2±1.1)(P>0.05).The JOA scores significantly improved immediately postoperatively and at the last follow-up in both groups compared with their preoperative values.The recovery rate was significantly higher in the anterior group both immediately postoperatively and at the last follow-up.The SF-36 score was significantly higher in the anterior group at the last follow-up compared with the preoperative value(69.4 vs.61.7).Imaging revealed that there was no significant difference in the Cobb angle at C2-C7 between the two groups preoperatively(-2.0°±7.3°vs.-1.4°±7.5°).The Cobb angle significantly improved immediately postoperatively(12.3°±4.2°vs.9.2°±3.6°)and at the last follow-up(12.4°±3.5°vs.9.0°±2.6°)in both groups compared with their preoperative values(P=0.00).Three patients had temporary dysphagia in the anterior group and four patients had persistent axial symptoms in the posterior group.Conclusions:Both the anterior and posterior approaches were effective in treating four-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy in terms of neurological clinical outcomes and radiological features.However,the JOA score recovery rate and SF-36 score in the anterior group were significantly higher.Persistent axial pain could be a major concern when undertaking the posterior approach.