Cervical disc prolapse in the elderly: an easily overlooked, reversible cause of spinal cord compression

It is important to distinguish cord compression due to cervical disc prolapse, which has a very favourable prognosis following surgery, from that due to cervical spondylosis. In the elderly the occurrence of cervical disc prolapse as a cause of spinal compression may be under-recognised because symptoms are too readily attributed to long standing degenerative changes on plain cervical X-rays. The difficulty of making an accurate diagnosis is complicated further in the elderly by the prevalence of other diseases which may mask the symptoms of cord compression. We report our experience with 19 patients over 60 who underwent anterior cervical discectomy for myelopathy due to intervertebral disc prolapse. There was generally a short history of walking difficulty, but the presence of 'numb clumsy hands', perhaps due to selective posterior column impairment, was often a more disabling complaint. Neck pain and disturbances of micturition were unusual. The prognosis after disc excision can be excellent. In this series all the severely disabled patients returned to an independent existence. Overall 16/19 patients made an excellent or good recovery.