Surgical Treatment Of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy : Results Of A Serie Of 91 Cases And Literature Review

Abstract

Objectives : the purpose of this report is to review our experience with surgical treatment of degenerative cervical myelopathy with a literature review. Methods : a retrospective study including 91 patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy operated at Yopougon University Hospital Center during the period from January 2011 to December 2015.  An assessment of the neurological status of the patients by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and Nurick score was carried out in pre and postoperative with a hindsight of 2 years. The literature review was conducted on PubMed databases. Results : the mean age was 54.48 (30 to 78). The anterior approach was performed in 75 patients, the posterior approach in 4 patients and combined approach in 12 patients. The preoperative  mean JOA score was 13.89. Two years after surgery the mean JOA score is improved to 16.43. The preoperative Nurick score was 2.4 and 1.40 postoperatively. The recovery rate was 81%. 4 patients had postoperative complications. Conclusion : surgical treatment improves the prognosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy. In our series, the anterior approach provides a better result.