[Surgical treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. A follow-up study]

The effect of operative treatment of spondylotic cervical myelopathy (SCM) was assessed by a follow up investigation of 33 patients submitted consecutively to operation. The patients were followed up on an average two years and two months after operation. As compared with the preoperative status, 39% of the patients had improved, 27% remained unchanged and 33% had a clinical status which was poorer than preoperatively. Age and sex were not found to be of significance for the prognosis. Patients with brief case histories had better effects of operation than patients with prolonged duration of the condition. The best results were found in patients in whom the duration of the condition was less than one year. Although 66% patients had obtained improved clinical condition or in whom progression of the condition has been arrested, 82% of the patients had been awarded social pensions at follow up examination as compared with 48% preoperatively. It is concluded that treatment of SCM should be instituted as early as possible in the course of the condition in the form of operative decompression of the cervical medulla.