[Chronic spondylogenic cervical myelopathy. Pathogenesis, prognosis, therapy]

The term "spondylotic cervical myelopathy" is not generally used in the same manner. It is not correct at all to use the expression "spondylotic cervical myelopathy" for an illness inducing damage of the cervical spine. This however happens in literature--especially in neurochirurgical ones very often. It is additionally confusing when the specific course of illness induces pathogenetical statements. "Acute cervical myelopathie" is not identical to a spinal cord compression caused by disc-protrusion or slipped disc, just as "chronic myelopathy" is not identical with spondylogenic cervical cord lesions. "Cervical myelopathy" describes an syndrome, exactly an impairment of cervical spinal cord. This syndrome "cervical myelopathy" can base on many causes. Encephalomyelitis disseminata, a tumor in the region of the cervical spine, a myelopathy induced by radiation and also a so-called "whiplash injury" of the cervical spine should be mentioned for example.