Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Expansion Duroplasty For Severe Cervical Spinal Cord Swelling After Traumatic Injury: A Step-by-Step Surgical Protocol
Published on: May 26, 2026
Laminoplasty for patients aged 75 years or older with cervical myelopathy
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hoshigaoka Koseinenkin Hospital, Osaka, Japan. masa-ishii@umin.ac.jp
Purpose:
To assess the neurological and walking status of 56 elderly patients after cervical myelopathy to determine whether the surgery was justified.
Methods:
Records of 23 men and 33 women aged 75 to 86 (mean, 79) years who underwent laminoplasty for cervical myelopathy were retrospectively reviewed. They had been followed up for a mean of 3.5 (range, 0.2-8.6) years. Walking status was assessed according to long-term care insurance criteria. In 45 patients with more than 2 years of follow-up, neurological status was evaluated according to the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Neurological recovery rate was classified as excellent, good, fair, poor, and worse.
Results:
Postoperatively, of the 47 patients still living, 22 could walk independently, 22 required assistance outdoors, 2 were using a wheelchair, and one was bedridden. The mean JOA score was 9.7 preoperatively, 12.2 one year postoperatively, and 11.8 at final assessment (p<0.001). The mean neurological recovery rate was 29% at one-year follow-up and 24% at final assessment (p=0.06).
Conclusion:
Although excellent results were not expected in elderly patients, surgery to maintain independent walking status was justified in most of our patients.